Dan Bishop: “At 2 p.m. today, the Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States will hear…”

“At 2 p.m. today, the Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States will hear the Lumbee Recognition Act, which would afford the Lumbee Tribe long-overdue Federal benefits. Although the Federal Government provided partial recognition to the Tribe in 1956, the Lumbee remain excluded from Federal benefits and legal status. This bill is no symbolic gesture. No other recognized Tribe is denied the right to self-government and sovereignty. Full recognition will finally allow the 55,000 Lumbee I represent to have fair access to the benefits and programs available to all other recognized Tribes. As a State senator, I sponsored legislation to clarify the status of the Lumbee as a State-recognized Tribe to ensure access to appropriate grants and programs. Now, I am proud, as a United States Congressman, to continue to fight for the Lumbee Tribe on the Federal level. In fact, cosponsoring this crucial legislation was one of my first official acts in Congress. I applaud my colleagues, Representatives Butterfield and Hudson, for introducing this important legislation to right this fundamentally unfair wrong. I look forward to casting my vote on the House floor to give the Lumbee the recognition they so rightfully deserve. ____________________”