Proposal sought by Wabanaki tribes left out of final federal defense bill

MAINE PUBLIC • December 9, 2022

Maine will receive several million dollars for research and shipbuilding improvements as part of a national defense bill that's moving through Congress, but a provision supported by Maine's Wabanaki tribes didn't make the final cut. The proposal, which Rep. Jared Golden introduced earlier this year, would allow Maine's Wabanaki tribes to benefit from all future federal laws and policies that apply to other federally recognized tribes. But the final version of the defense bill — which has now passed the House and will likely clear the Senate — doesn't include the Wabanaki proposal.