At a recent rally in Wilmington, former President Donald Trump said that if he is re-elected, he would grant the Lumbee Tribe full federal recognition, which could result in another tribal casino in North Carolina.
Currently, the Lumbee is the largest tribe in the country without full federal recognition. Because of that, the tribe does not have the same benefits as a fully federally recognized tribe. It also means the tribe can’t operate a tribal casino in the Tar Heel State.
Tribe has been fighting to gain federal recognition for years
During his speech, Trump noted that other former presidents flirted with the idea of federally recognizing the tribe but never went through with those plans. That includes Trump, who was US president from 2016 to 2020. Trump stated at the Wilmington rally,
“I’m officially announcing that, if I am elected in November, I will sign legislation granting the great Lumbee Tribe the federal recognition that it deserves.
“The Lumbee Tribe has been wrongfully denied federal recognition for more than a century. But now we’re going to take care of it. We’ll take care of it right at the beginning.”
The tribe received partial recognition from the federal government in 1956. Since then, it has tried to receive full recognition, but efforts have been unsuccessful.
North Carolina has formally recognized the tribe since 1885. That state-level recognition has paved the way for things such as an Indian Norman School, which has developed over the years into UNC Pembroke. It has not, though, allowed the tribe to operate a casino in the state.
Even if Trump wins the presidency again in November, it is a complicated process for a tribe to gain federal recognition.
Wilmington in casino dead zone
A Lumbee tribal casino would theoretically be in or near Robeson County, which is south of Fayetteville and northwest of Wilmington. Specifically for Wilmington residents, a casino in Robeson County could give the area an economic boost. Based on current and proposed North Carolina casinos, Wilmington is in a casino dead zone.
Casino expansion in North Carolina is viewed as a way to create rural tourism districts. When North Carolina previously flirted with the notion of legalizing commercial casinos, Wilmington was not on the list as a home for a potential casino. Right now, residents in Wilmington are roughly four hours from the nearest casino. The closest operation is the Catawba Two Kings Casino.
Wilmington residents do want a casino. A survey from NCSharp found that 45% of respondents support casino expansion, compared to 29% opposed.
Could tribe get a casino license?
There are essentially two ways the Lumbee Tribe could get a casino license in North Carolina.
One is to receive full federal recognition through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA), the agency charged with deciding which tribes qualify for recognition. The tribe has made very little progress via this route, one that is notoriously and painfully slow.
The second route would entail either an act of the US Congress or, as Trump indicated, an executive order to grant the tribe federal recognition. Both Houses of Congress have introduced the Lumbee Fairness Act, aiming to accomplish just that. At the moment, both the House and Senate versions of the bill sit in the Committee on Indian Affairs (Senate) and the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs (House).
Trump’s statement this week could fast-track that process, should he be elected.
Assuming either of these federal pathways to recognition would occur, the state still must grant the tribe a casino license. That may be the most likely scenario of all.
In 2023, a draft bill that would have legalized commercial casinos in North Carolina would also have given the Lumbee Tribe a casino license with no application fees, if several conditions were met. The first condition: “The United States federal government grants full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe.”
If Trump is not re-elected, the tribe must hope that North Carolina lawmakers will legalize commercial casinos and that the US Congress or the OFA will approve the Lumbee’s petition for federal recognition. Or the tribe could petition the Kamala Harris Administration to grant it federal recognition.
Image Credit: Chis Seward / AP Images
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