WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Thursday, the United States Senate gave final approval to return to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska over 1,600 acres of land along the Missouri River that the federal government seized decades ago. The legislation, which passed earlier in the U.S. House, now goes to President Biden for his signature.

"This is a truly historic moment for the Winnebago Tribe as lands that were taken from us over 50 years ago will soon be restored to the tribe," said Winnebago Chairwoman Victoria Kitcheyan. The two tracks of land being returned, which previously belonged to Nebraska before the shifting of the Missouri River, were seized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1970s for a recreation project that never materialized.

The bill that helped to restore the land to the Tribe, titled the Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023, was introduced by Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra and co-sponsored by the entirety of Iowa and Nebraska's Congressional delegations. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was wrong to seize this land through eminent domain in the 1970s," wrote U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in a statement, "It's time to make this right and finally return this land to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska."

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