Congress passes Lumbee recognition bill, heads to Trump's desk

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Yahoo News

Lumbee Chairman John Lowery testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Nov. 5, 2025. (Photo from senate.gov)

The Senate approved federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina on Wednesday as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, following passage by the House last week.

In a vote Wednesday, a broad bipartisan coalition of senators approved the bill in a 77-20 vote, following a 312-112 vote in the House last Wednesday. The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk, where he can now deliver on a pledge for recognition that he made during his campaign stops in North Carolina in both 2020 and 2024.

The Lumbee are set to become the largest federally recognized tribe east of the Mississippi River with more than 55,000 enrolled members and only the second with full federal recognition based in North Carolina after the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/congress-passes-lumbee-recognition-bill-231924592.html

[Brother Buzz]

1. The marmalade shartcannon will sign it as soon as he's awarded the contract to manage...

the gambling concessions.

[littlemissmartypants]

2. What gambling? Lumbee?

[Brother Buzz]

4. Full federal recognition opens the door

The Lumbee Tribe is pursuing full federal recognition, which would grant them sovereign rights, including the ability to develop casinos.

[littlemissmartypants]

5. That's my point. I know the Lumbee very, very well. They haven't got any casinos.

[Jose Garcia]

7. They aren't allowed to have casinos because they aren't a recognized tribe

Once they are recognized, they will be allowed to.

[mwooldri]

8. Then the Lumbee will have to have tribal land.

Which they do... Not a "reservation" in the traditional sense.

[Igel]

9. Arguably because they aren't recognized

and lack the sovereignty to establish them.

What their back-of-house plans are is anybody's guess. Maybe today they don't want a casino and in two years they'll say, "Wait minute, yeah, we do." Then again, maybe there's a cultural taboo against gambling. Dunno.

[littlemissmartypants]

10. To suggest that just because they're Lumbee (Indigenous) they may want a casino...

Seems presumptive on a level that makes me uncomfortable.

[littlemissmartypants]

3. TY ❤️

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

6. But does he realize the Lumbees ran off the Klan?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hayes_Pond

[angrychair]

11. If Republicans support this

I question it. Thom Tillis supports it I know I'm it's a scam. I don't trust anything Republicans support. Republicans only support things that profit themselves and their billionaire buddies. It's us always about the grift with them.
I will always vote against anything a Republican supports.

[Jose Garcia]

13. Democrats supported it too

[niyad]

12. What's the catch? If "r's" support it, there is probably a catch.

[Jose Garcia]

14. President Biden supported recognition as well

[niyad]

16. So do I. But what I very clearly stated is that if "r's" support this bill,

there has to be some sneaky little clause in there that benefits someone other than tribal members. And President Biden has been out of office for 11 months, so no telling what is actually in the bill, assuming it was there in the last session.

[NYC Liberal]

17. They vote Republican.

Focused in Pembroke, Robeson County area, the current self-identified Lumbee population is approximately 63,000 enrolled members. The group has become a notable voting bloc in North Carolina in recent election cycles as political leanings shifted from their historical support of Democrats, to Republicans.

In 2016, Robeson County flipped red, going for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton, 50.82% to 46.5%, respectively.

In 2020, as Trump’s margin of victory statewide in North Carolina shrunk to about 1.3%, Robeson County margins were swelling for the Republican incumbent — about 59%, compared to 40.3% for Democratic nominee Vice President Joe Biden.

Finally, in the last midterm election, just about 10 months from the opening of the Pembroke community center, Robeson County went big again for Republicans in the top ballot race for US Senate. Republican nominee Ted Budd, facing Democrat Cherie Beasley, garnered more than 58% of the Robeson County vote, compared to Beasley’s 39.7%.

https://www.carolinajournal.com/trump-promises-full-federal-recognition-for-lumbee-tribe/

[niyad]

18. Thank you for this information.

[jmowreader]

15. I think this is about federal aid, not establishing casinos

The Lumbee are Southern Baptists, a faith that absolutely hates gambling.