Chairman says tribe won’t get federal recognition this year

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — The chairman of North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe says it appears that the tribe will not be getting federal recognition this year.

The Charlotte Observer reported that chairman Harvey Godwin Jr. posted a statement on Facebook on Sunday. He said that federal recognition would not be included in Congress’ year-end spending bill.

There had been optimism earlier this year that the tribe would get recognition. There was support from President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden.

There was passage of a recognition bill in the U.S. House. North Carolina’s U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis also backed the effort.

Many of the tribe’s members live in North Carolina’s Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke and Scotland counties.