Overview
- The Senate approved the NDAA 77–20 after earlier House passage, sending the recognition measure to President Trump, who has endorsed it.
- Federal status would open access to Indian Health Service care, new grant funding, and land-into-trust authority for the approximately 55,000-member tribe.
- The provision designates Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland counties as on or near an Indian reservation, setting the stage for program eligibility and planning.
- Supporters advanced recognition by embedding it in the NDAA, a tactic critics—including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians—say bypasses the usual evidentiary review.
- The Congressional Budget Office projects initial federal costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars as local leaders in Pembroke and surrounding areas prepare for services and development.