Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina fully and rightfully recognized as President Donald Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

The President of the United States. Donald Trump, has signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which included the Lumbee Fairness Act. Chairman John L. Lowery was with President Trump for this historic moment in Lumbee History. It is confirmed the Lumbee Tribe of N.C. is fully Federally Recognized as the 575th Tribe in the nation on this the 18th day of December 2025. Chairman Lowery said, “I had the honor of witnessing President Trump sign the National Defense Authorization Act, and in that moment our legal limbo finally ended. The injustice of the 1956 Act has been corrected, a relic of the Indian Termination Era has been erased, and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is now fully and rightfully recognized.”