The Catawba Nation of North Carolina has officially thanked bipartisan lawmakers for passing the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act, which recognizes the nation’s ancestral roots in the state and clears the path for a planned Catawba casino.
The legislation, part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed in the Senate by a vote of 89-10 and in the House by a vote of 363-70. President Joe Biden was expected to quickly sign the act.
“On behalf of all Catawba citizens, I want to thank the original prime sponsors of this legislation, Rep. James Clyburn and Senator Lindsey Graham, for their leadership throughout this process,” said Catawba Nation Chief Bill Harris. He also thanked U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and North Carolina senators Richard Burr and Senator Thom Tillis “for their strong support of righting this historical wrong.”
The act “reaffirms the U.S. Department of Interior’s action recognizing our historical and ancestral ties to North Carolina,” said Harris. “Congress, Interior, the state of North Carolina and a federal court have now all confirmed what the Catawba people have said from the beginning—these lands are the ancestral homelands of the Catawba people, and we intend to use them to improve the life of all the people in the community.”
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) had fought passage of the measure, which opens the door to a Catawba casino in the state, and new competition for the ECBI’s own gaming endeavors.
In March 2020, the Interior Department placed 17 acres in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, into trust of the Catawbas. For eight years, the nation has fought to build its Two Kings Casino and Resort on the parcel. ECBI sued to stop the project.
ECBI Principal Chief Richard Sneed called passage of the bill “the culmination of a long effort by wealthy casino moguls to create a casino across state lines.
“Passage of this legislation marks the first time Congress has ever directly approved an off-reservation casino, an act which we continue to believe will have profound consequences for communities and tribes across the country,” said Sneed. “The courts have been reviewing the legality of the Catawba casino, but this legislation will end that process. We are disappointed to not be granted the ability to defend our position in the courtroom.”
While the Kings Mountain casino is expected to have a positive economic impact in Cleveland County, EBCI and other local governments in the region worry about how it could affect Cherokee casinos in Cherokee and Murphy.
According to the Smoky Mountain News, EBCI’s casino enterprise has seen “unprecedented success” over more than two decades of operation, “in part because there are no competing casinos within an easy day’s drive, and it’s a major economic driver for the entire mountain region.”
The EBCI estimates that the Kings Mountain casino could siphon away $100 million in annual business from its existing operations.
Harris looked to progress ahead for the Catawba Nation. “These are the lands of not just our ancestors, but also the hundreds of Catawba citizens residing there today,” he said. “Make no mistake, this legislation means more people will have good-paying jobs, more kids will have a better education and more people will have better housing and health care. That’s what this bill really means.”
Meanwhile, yet another North Carolina tribe—the Lumbee—continue to seek federal recognition. The Cherokee have also fought Lumbee recognition, which “automatically triggers fear of a casino on Interstate 95,” according to the Charlotte Observer,
Both North Carolina senators, Burr and Tillis, support recognition. And during the 2020 presidential campaign, both candidates, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, also backed the Lumbee.
