[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 10, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H5118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ENSURING FAIRNESS AND INTEGRITY IN FEDERAL TRIBAL RECOGNITION

  (Mr. Edwards of North Carolina was recognized to address the House 
for 5 minutes.)
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, this year's NDAA strengthens America's 
military readiness. It invests in cutting-edge defense capabilities. It 
ensures our servicemembers have the training, tools, and support they 
need to confront the growing threats that we face at home and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong opposition to the NDAA 
provision that seeks to circumvent the established merit-based process 
for Federal Tribal recognition and instead grant unchecked Federal 
recognition to the Lumbee community.
  I am proud to represent North Carolina's 11th District, home of the 
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a sovereign Tribal Nation whose 
culture, language, and history are a treasure not only to the State of 
North Carolina but to the United States as a whole.
  The Eastern Band of Cherokee are the descendants of those who fought 
to remain in their ancestral homelands in the face of forced Federal 
removal. By contrast, it must be noted that the Lumbee community has no 
treaties with the Federal Government, no reservation land, and no 
common language.
  As Members of Congress, one of our most solemn responsibilities is to 
ensure that laws are applied fairly, objectively, and consistently.
  For over 40 years, the Department of the Interior through the Office 
of Federal Acknowledgement has carried out a rigorous merit-based 
process for determining Federal Tribal recognition. This process was 
created by Congress to prevent political favoritism or arbitrary 
decisionmaking as it requires careful documentation and verification, 
including proof of Native American ancestry.
  Bypassing this process, as is suggested through this NDAA, by 
including the Lumbee Fairness Act as an amendment, sets a dangerous 
precedent. It would invite other groups with unsubstantiated claims to 
sidestep this process and seek recognition through political channels 
rather than merit. That undermines the integrity of the recognition 
process, and it threatens the credibility of Indian Country as a whole.
  The OFA has found that some petitioning groups consisted entirely of 
individuals unable to demonstrate Native American ancestry, not a 
single person. Recognizing these groups would be a disservice to 
legitimate Tribes. In the case of the Lumbee, this amendment would in 
one stroke create the largest Tribe in the country, granting immediate 
access to already overstretched Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian 
Health Service resources.
  As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am proud of the 
work that we have done to provide robust funding for the Indian Health 
Service and other critical priorities for federally recognized Tribes 
in the fiscal year 2026 Interior appropriations bill.
  If the Tribal population eligible for these services suddenly grows 
by tens of thousands of people, many of whom have no native ancestry, 
resources will be spread too thin, and the Tribes with established 
rights will suffer.
  That is the crux of the issue. If the Lumbee had a case that could 
withstand the scrutiny of the OFA process, they would go through the 
OFA process as set out by law. But as they know, it won't hold up under 
a deliberative process. They sought special treatment through the 
legislative shortcuts, despite opposition from more than 140 federally 
recognized Tribes from across the country that have stated the 
integrity of this process must be preserved, and I agree. Recognition 
should be earned on the merits, not granted through politics.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this provision and uphold 
the process put in place by Congress decades ago to ensure fairness and 
integrity in Federal Tribal recognition.

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