7 Indian tribes seeking federal recognition from Congress

7 tribes seeking federal recognition

WASHINGTON — Seven Indian tribes in North Carolina and Virginia are again asking Congress to grant them federal recognition.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and six Virginia tribes would be eligible for hundreds of millions of tax dollars in housing, education and health benefits under two bills the House is expected to consider Wednesday. Both bills passed the House in the last Congress but stalled in the Senate.

President Barack Obama’s administration has pledged to support recognition of the Lumbee tribe, which has sought federal oversight for more than a century. The administration has not pledged support for recognition of the Virginia tribes.