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.