The U.S. Senate considers Indian Country legislation on November 21, 2024, during which Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) blocked passage of a bill to protect the Wounded Knee massacre site in South Dakota.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, brought up three Indian Country bills for consideration en bloc. They are: S.385, S.1322 and S.2868.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) attempted to have S.2088, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, considered for passage as well. That's when Tillis objected.
Tillis said he would not allow for passage of the Wounded Knee sacred site bill because he has not been able to secure federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe, a state-recognized group in North Carolina.
