Summary
- NC
Rep. Jarrod Lowery joined the Trump administration in October. - Lowery
has represented Robeson County since January 2023. - He is
a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
Lowery told McClatchy on Tuesday that he would be a senior adviser
to the department’s assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, confirming the
story that Anderson Alerts had originally reported.
In a video shared on social media last month, Robeson County
Republican Lowery, 37, who was elected to a second term in the state House last
November, stated that he would leave in October to accept a position in
Washington, D.C. Which post he had not yet confirmed.
Lowery is the sole Native American member of the
legislature. He belongs to the North Carolina Lumbee Tribe. The chairman of the
tribe is his brother, John Lowery.
Since 1888, the tribe has applied for federal recognition.
The question of whether the tribe should apply for this
recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs or through a congressional act
is up for debate.
This is because of a 1956 vote by Congress that granted
the tribe official status without the usual federal benefits.
The tribe then carried on fighting.
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump in
January mandated that the Department of Interior find a legal route for the
tribe. Those results have not been made public by the Trump administration.
McClatchy has submitted a request for the study’s findings as public records.
Members of the congressional delegation from North Carolina
are also trying to figure out how to get the tribe recognized.
The U.S. House passed Lumbee recognition as an amendment to
the National Defense Authorization Act, a law that determines the Pentagon’s
budget, last month under the leadership of Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican from
Wilmington.
The U.S. Senate is currently considering that bill, and Sen.
Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, is firmly in favor of the Lumbee.
How might Lowery’s appointment affect the tribal recognition
process?
Being in the federal administration allows Lowery direct
access to important decision-makers and agencies (including the Department of
the Interior which is especially key to tribal recognition).
Lowery can more effectively make the case for the Lumbee
tribe’s recognition inside the government which will ensure that recognition
stays on the administration’s agenda. He can also work closely with members of
Congress from North Carolina and other nearby states that are sympathetic to
the cause, to build momentum for action on the bills for full recognition.
His presence in the Trump administration simply makes the
Lumbee recognition campaign more visible and possibly expedites the
decision-making process.
