Rep. Vindman Introduces Bill to Grant Federal Recognition to Patawomeck Indian Tribe
This bill is sitting in the House Committee on Natural Resources where it has been since July 2025. No action has taken place on this proposal for 11 months. The House committee must review the bill before it can move forward, but it is currently stalled.
Tribal recognition bills often take years to pass and require significant support from leadership in both the House and Senate to move forward.
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 5553 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 5553 (118th) →Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
The Patawomeck Indian Tribe would gain federal recognition, giving its members access to federal services and benefits including healthcare through the Indian Health Service, education grants, housing assistance, and other programs reserved for federally recognized tribes. The tribe could also have land taken into trust in three Virginia counties, establishing an official reservation. This is a significant and long-sought milestone for a community that has maintained its identity since at least the 1300s despite centuries of displacement and erasure from official records.
“On and after the date of enactment of this Act, the Tribe and Tribal members shall be eligible for all services and benefits provided by the Federal Government to federally recognized Indian Tribes without the existence of a reservation for the Tribe.”
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
As the Stafford Board of Supervisors debates land leases, the article highlights that Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) has introduced a federal bill to grant the Patawomeck Tribe recognition. The move faces local opposition from historians questioning the tribe's documented continuity.
Reps. Abigail Spanberger, Jen Kiggans, and Jennifer Wexton introduced the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act. The bill would allow the tribe to access federal grants and services while explicitly prohibiting the opening of gambling establishments on tribal lands.
The Patawomeck Indian Tribe acquired 870 acres of ancestral land in Spotsylvania and Caroline counties. This land transfer is a significant milestone for the tribe as it seeks federal recognition, which would allow the government to hold such lands in trust as a formal reservation.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act
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