The U.S. Senate considers Indian Country legislation on November 21, 2024, during which Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) blocked passage of a bill to protect the Wounded Knee massacre site in South Dakota.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, brought up three Indian Country bills for consideration en bloc. They are: S.385, S.1322 and S.2868.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) attempted to have S.2088, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, considered for passage as well. That's when Tillis objected.

Tillis said he would not allow for passage of the Wounded Knee sacred site bill because he has not been able to secure federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe, a state-recognized group in North Carolina.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota): Discusses Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina): Objects to S.2088

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota): S.2088,Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii): S.385, S.1322 and S.2868

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) lashes out against the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians at a hearing on sports betting on December 17, 2024.

According to Tillis, the Eastern Band is using gaming revenues to fund lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. He claimed the money was being used to oppose federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe, a state-recognized group in North Carolina.

" Well, I just happen to be spending a lot of quality time with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, debating why they're spending all this money that they're making off of gambling, trying to prevent a tribe that has been denied recognition for 130 years from getting recognition in the state of North Carolina," Tillis said at a hearing of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

During his remarks, Tillis displayed a poster titled "The Network Working Against the Lumbee Tribe." It included the seal of the Eastern Band and the photo and name of Wilson Pipestem, a prominent lobbyist who has worked for the Eastern Band.

Despite the presence of the imagery, Tillis referred to Pipestem as "William," repeating a slip-up he made on the U.S. Senate floor on November 21, 2024.

The poster also featured the logo of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, along with the name of Ben Barnes, the chair of the organization and the chief of the Shawnee Tribe.

Tillis is the sponsor of S.521, the Lumbee Fairness Act. The bill would extend federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, whose leaders have been trying to gain acknowledgment as an Indian tribe for more than a century.

The Eastern Band, the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma and numerous other tribes and tribal organizations have been calling on the Lumbees to go through the federal acknowledgment process at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Lumbees are instead pursuing recognition through an act of Congress.

The Senate hearing, titled "America’s High-Stakes Bet on Legalized Sports Gambling," did not feature any tribal or Indian Country witnesses.

Committee Notice:
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/americas-high-stakes-bet-on-legalized-sports-gambling

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) blasts Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina): 'The Network Working Against the Lumbee Tribe'

The U.S. House of Representatives debates H.R.1101, the Lumbee Fairness Act, on December 17, 2024.

The bill extends federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, headquartered in North Carolina. The Lumbees, who are recognized by the state government, claim descent from the historic Cheraw people.

Following consideration of H.R.1101 under a suspension of the rules, a recorded vote was requested. The bill passed by a vote of 311 to 96, meeting the two-thirds majority required under House procedures.

https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2024/roll511.xml

The bill would still need to pass the U.S. Senate before it could be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

H.R.1101, the Lumbee Fairness Act

H.R.1101 - Lumbee Fairness Act

President Donald Trump signs a memorandum directing the Department of the Interior to come up with a plan to extend federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

"I love the Lumbee Tribe," Trump said at the White House on January 23, 2025.

"They were with me all the way," Trump continued. "They were great -- North Carolina. Lumbee Tribe."

The White House released the following transcript of the remarks between President Trump and Will Scharf, the Staff Secretary at the White House.

MR. SCHARF:  Next, sir, we have a presidential memorandum encouraging departments and agencies in your government, including the Department of the Interior, to promote federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of —
     THE PRESIDENT:  Ohh.
     MR. SCHARF:  — North Carolina.
     THE PRESIDENT:  I love the Lumbee Tribe.  So, this is their first big step, right?
     MR. SCHARF:  This would be a huge step for them, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  They were with me all the way.  They were great — North Carolina Lumbee Tribe.
     (The presidential memorandum is signed.)
     And we’ll send — you’ll send them a copy of that?
     MR. SCHARF:  Yes, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT:  They were great. 
     Okay?
     MR. SCHARF:  And, if you’d like, I could get them that pen, sir, as well.
     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, let’s do that.  (The president gives Mr. Scharf the signing pen.)

President Donald Trump: 'I love the Lumbee Tribe...They were with me all the way'

Chairman John L. Lowery of the Lumbee Tribe delivers the State of the Tribe on June 30, 2025.

The Lumbee Tribe is a state-recognized group in North Carolina.

The speech took place in Pembroke.

Lumbee Tribe State of the Tribe 2025

Chairman John L. Lowery of the Lumbee Tribe discusses efforts to secure federal recognition for his people in North Carolina.

Lowery said he's been meeting with other tribes as the Lumbees seek federal recognition through an act of Congress. He has also made frequent visits to Washington, D.C., and said he was going to attend a meeting at the White House.

" By the way, we have a lot of support throughout Indian Country," Lowery said during his State of the Tribe Address on June 30, 2025.

Lowery thanked Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) for introducing S.521, the Lumbee Fairness Act. He said the Republican lawmaker's decision to retire from the U.S. Senate won't have an effect on the legislation.

" It will not have any kind of negative impact on our bill moving forward," Lowery said at the Lumbee Boys and Girls Club in Pembroke. "Matter of fact, Senator Tillis texted me last night and said, by the way, we just add another co-sponsor."

The Lumbees are recognized by the state of North Carolina. They have been unable to secure federal recognition from the U.S. government amid long-standing questions about their legitimacy.

 "We pretty much have North Carolina on lock," Lowery said. "We're good there, but outside of North Carolina, we need your support. So ask your friends, your family and colleagues to call their congressman and their senators. Tell them it's time to take action on the Long Fairness Act and to become a co-sponsor of our bill."

Lowery said his meeting at the White House was taking place on July 1, 2025.

' We have a lot of support throughout Indian Country'

' We have a lot of support throughout Indian Country'

Trump 2.0 is causing mass anxiety throughout “Indian Country” and across Turtle Island so far in 2025. As of mid-June 2025, the Trump Administration’s proposed Fiscal 2026 federal budget calls for nearly $1 billion in cuts to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and other federal Native American programs. In addition, President Trump signed “Birthright Citizenship” Executive Order 14160 on January 20th, 2025, where the Trump Administration believes it could denaturalize Native American U.S. citizenship, especially if the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. CASA, Inc. agrees with the Trump Administration.

But Native America nations have an extra-constitutional relationship with the United States government, and this extra-constitutional relationship is the result of more than 380 signed and ratified treaties between Native American nations and the U.S. government – an approximate similar number of treaties were signed but never ratified. The U.S. government, however, must legally and adhere to its “Trust” responsibilities its treaty obligations. 

Enduring questions are guest addresses: Do the Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts along with the DOGE cuts to federal programs violate the Treaties between Native American nations and the Trust Doctrine? In addition, does President Donald Trump’s Birthright Citizenship executive order place Native Americans in real threat of losing their U.S. citizenship contrary to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924? Lastly, does the combined actions of the Trump Administration plausibly suggest the possibility of new “Terminations” reminiscent of the 1950s?

Today on American Indian Airwaves, our guest for the hour provides an in-depth description and analysis on the Trump 2.0 Administrations actions within the context of the understanding the legalities and constitutionality of the treaties between the Native American nations and the U.S. federal government. Today’s interview was conducted prior to the four recent SCOTUS and lower court decisions on the Birthright Citizenship executive order.  


Guest:
David E. Wilkins, a citizen of the Lumbee Nation, is a political scientist specializing in federal Indian policy and law. He is the E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor in Leadership Studies in the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies and professor emeritus of the University of Minnesota. He studies Indigenous politics, governance, and legal systems, with a particular focus on Native American sovereignty, self-determination, and diplomacy. 

Professor Wilkins is the author of numerous books including, but not limited to: Indigenous Governance: Clans, Constitutions, and Consent (2024), Of Living Stone: Perspectives on Continuous Knowledge and the Work of Vine Deloria, Jr. (2024), Documents of Native American Political Development, 1933 to Present (2019), Red Prophet: The Punishing Intellectualism of Vine Deloria, Jr.(2018), Dismembered: Native Disenrollment and the Battle for Human Rights (2017), American Indian Politics and the American Political System, second edition, 2017, Hollow Justice: A History of Indigenous Claims in the United States (2013), The Hank Adams Reader (2011), The Legal Universe: Observations of the Foundations of American Law (2011), Documents of Native American Political Development, 1500 to 1933 (2009),  On the Drafting of Tribal Constitutions - Felix S. Cohen (2006), Native Voices: American Indian Identity and Resistance (2003), Uneven Ground: American Indian Sovereignty and Federal Law (2002), and Tribes, Treaties, and Constitutional Tribulations (2000).
 
Archived programs can be heard on Soundcloud at: https://soundcloud.com/burntswamp

American Indian Airwaves streams on over ten podcasting platforms such as Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, Audible, Backtracks.fm, Gaana, Google Podcast, Fyyd, iHeart Media, Mixcloud, Player.fm, Podbay.fm, Podcast Republic, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tunein, YouTube, and more.


Bad Actors, & Treaty & Trust Doctrine Violations in Trump 2.0

American Indian Airwaves (AIA), an Indigenous public affairs radio porgram and, perhaps, the longest running Native American radio program within both Indigenous and the United States broadcast communication histories. Also, AIA broadcast weekly every Thursday from 7pm to 8pm (PCT) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles (http://www.kpfk.org).  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiacr


American Indian Airwaves is produced in Burntswamp Studios and started broadcasting on March 1st, 1973 on KPFK in order to give Indigenous peoples and their respective First Nations a voice about the continuous struggles against Settler Colonialism and imperialism by the occupying and settler societies often referred to as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Latin and South America countries located therein.

American Indian Airwaves operates as an all-volunteer collective with no corporate sponsorship and no underwriters.

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New tracks tagged #lumbee