Last week, Senator Thom Tillis launched an emotional tirade on the Senate floor, targeting hundreds of tribal leaders and respected Native organizations with baseless accusations. He labeled them liars and corrupt racists and accused them of oppressing others — all because they opposed his push to short-circuit the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ evidence-based tribal recognition process through congressional fiat.

At issue is Sen. Tillis’ bill [S.1364] to federally recognize Lumbee, a group based in his home state of North Carolina, which has falsely claimed multiple, shifting identities as a Native American tribe.

The reckless rhetoric Sen. Tillis hurled at his bill’s opponents ignored the genuine, sovereignty-based concerns raised by organizations such as the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association, the Coalition of Large Tribes, the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. These organizations understand the dangers of granting legislative recognition to a group that, according to expert analysis of Lumbee’s own documents, cannot even specify, let alone demonstrate, which historical tribal nation they descend from. This has never happened in United States history, and to do so now would have far-reaching and damaging consequences for every federally recognized tribe in America.

Recognition as a sovereign tribal nation is not a symbolic gesture; it carries profound legal and cultural significance. Tribal leaders are simply asking for the Lumbee to seek recognition through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA), the established process Congress designed to evaluate claims of tribal identity through rigorous historical and genealogical review. The OFA process ensures that recognition is based on fact, not speculation or political convenience.

Sen. Tillis’ extreme efforts to bypass this process entirely are dangerous and threaten the integrity of the recognition process itself and the sovereignty of all tribes.

Of equal concern is Sen. Tillis’ shameful attempt to punish Native leaders for dissent by blocking the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act [S.2088], legislation to honor the darkest chapters in American history and return this sacred site to its rightful owners. Sen. Tillis’ message of intimidation was clear — I know better than tribal leaders, and if you disagree with me, your voices will be silenced.

The stakes are too high to allow this behavior to go unchecked. If groups without verifiable claims are granted recognition through legislative shortcuts, it will set a dangerous precedent, opening the door for others to exploit Native identity, access federal resources, and infringe on the sovereignty of federally recognized tribes.

Sen. Tillis owes tribal leaders across the nation an apology. Tribal governments have struggled, fought, and bled for centuries to exist and maintain our cultures. Our concerns are rooted in historical facts and a desire to protect what our ancestors fought to pass down. For him to ignore these realities and launch a personal attack on those who dare to disagree with him is unacceptable and unbecoming of a U.S. Senator.

This is not just a fight over recognition—it is a fight to preserve the sovereignty, culture, and history of tribal nations. We will not stand by while our histories are rewritten or our voices are dismissed. We urge Senator Tillis to engage in good faith with Native leaders, respect the OFA process, and stop using legislative recognition as a political weapon.

Anything less is a disservice to the truth and a betrayal of the trust his constituents and the nation placed in him.

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Michell Hicks is the Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a federally recognized tribe located in Cherokee, North Carolina.

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