Connecticut Democrats Block Local Tribe While Backing Recognition Elsewhere

By Mark Vargas, Editor-in-Chief & Opinion Contributor

Democrats often talk about fairness, inclusion, and respect for tribal sovereignty. But when it comes to the Schaghticoke Indian Tribe (SIT) in their own backyard, Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy tell a very different story.

The facts are not in dispute.

The Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA) recently issued a proposed positive finding on Phase I of SIT’s federal recognition petition. That means the tribe met all four mandatory criteria required at this stage of review.

SIT submitted its governing documents, including its constitution. It provided current membership lists. It documented that 40 of its 45 members – 89 percent – descend from the historical Schaghticoke tribe.

The tribe backed this up with genealogical records and an 1876 petition to the State of Connecticut naming members of the historic tribe.

The OFA made it clear: there is no requirement that every descendant of a historical ancestor be included in a modern petitioning group. The legal standard is descent and legitimate governance. And SIT met that standard.

Yet for years, Democrats in Connecticut have treated this petition as something to defeat rather than evaluate fairly.

In 2016, Senator Richard Blumenthal went so far as to call the SIT petition “frivolous” and publicly vowed to fight it. That is not neutral oversight. That is political opposition before the process even runs its course.

Reports indicate that Blumenthal and Murphy worked closely with the Biden administration during the years when SIT’s petition stalled. Instead of allowing the federal process to move forward based on the evidence, they signaled that recognition for this Connecticut tribe was unwelcome.

But here is where the hypocrisy becomes impossible to ignore.

In January 2025, the Lumbee Fairness Act (S.107 in the 119th Congress) was introduced to grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe. Senator Blumenthal proudly signed on as a cosponsor in February 2025. So did Senator Murphy, along with other Democrats.

The bill amended the Lumbee Act of 1956 and made the Lumbee Tribe eligible for federal services through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service. It was later included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.

Congress passed it in December 2025, and President Donald Trump signed it into law on December 18, 2025.

So let’s be clear. When a tribe in North Carolina seeks full federal recognition, Blumenthal and Murphy champion the cause. They call it fairness. They call it justice. They call it long overdue. But when a tribe in Connecticut seeks recognition – and meets federal criteria – they call it “frivolous” and vow to fight it.

That is not principle. That is politics.

Federal recognition should not depend on geography or political convenience. It should depend on evidence and law. The OFA’s proposed positive finding shows that SIT has met the standards required at this stage.

Democrats cannot claim to stand for tribal sovereignty while opposing it at home. They cannot celebrate recognition for one tribe while dismissing another in their own state.
If fairness matters, it must apply everywhere.

Otherwise, it’s just Washington double talk.