Kennedy, Keating Amendment Protecting Mashpee Wampanoag Passes House

Press Release

Congressman Joe Kennedy III and Congressman Bill Keating today applauded the passage of their amendment to protect the land of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as part of H.R. 7608, the Fiscal Year 2021 Four-Bill Appropriations Minibus. Introduced with Congresswoman Deb Haaland and Congresswoman Lori Trahan, the lawmakers' amendment would protect the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe from endless litigation and fully recognize their tribal lands without interference from the federal government.

"Four hundred years ago, the Pilgrims settled on the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's land and they have been forced to fight for their sovereignty and survival ever since," said Congressman Kennedy. "In recent months, the Trump Administration has used the COVID-19 pandemic as cover to try to steal the Tribe's land and define their people out of existence. This amendment will put an immediate stop to those dangerous efforts."

"The fact that the Tribe of the First Thanksgiving is fighting for federal, tribal recognition should astound everyone," said Congressman Keating. "This amendment will limit the Trump Administration's constant efforts to undermine the Tribe's rights. We all know that for the President, this is about his casino lobbyist friends, but for us and the Tribe, this is about people, their rights, their health, their education, and their livelihoods."

Keating and Kennedy originally introduced the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act, which passed the House in 2019. Last month, Congresswoman Haaland and Congressman Kennedy introduced the Tribal Reservation Pandemic Protection Act to protect tribal reservation lands after filing an amicus brief on behalf of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

Source