LUMBERTON, NC (AP)-- Rep. Larry Kissell says he's reviewing a study that seems to conclude that tribes such as the Lumbees that don't get federal funding now shouldn't get it in the future.

The Robesonian of Lumberton reported that Lumbee leaders are concerned about a draft study by the Government Accountability Office. Lumbee attorney Ed Brooks says the study provides a way to remove state-recognized tribes from the definition of Indians, making them ineligible for federal funding.

Kissell said last week that he's reviewing the issue with the GAO. He says he plans to recommend that another GAO study be done to show the importance of federal funding to state-recognized tribes.

Although the Lumbees were federally recognized in 1956, they don't receive same benefits that other federally recognized tribes receive.

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