Warren, a potential 2020 presidential contender, introduced the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act in March of this year along with the rest of the Massachusetts congressional delegation. The act aims to circumvent legal obstacles currently thwarting the Mashpee Wampanoag's attempts to establish a casino.
The senator, who has been dogged by controversy surrounding her claims of Native American heritage, has embraced Mashpee Wampanoag's cause as her own. The embrace has been especially surprising considering Warren, until recently, was hostile to legalized gambling.
As a candidate for the Senate in 2011, Warren strongly opposed successful efforts to expand casino-style gambling in Massachusetts. In 2014, she backed an unsuccessful ballot initiative to repeal the expansion on economic grounds.
"It's a tough call here. People need jobs, but gambling can be a real problem economically for a lot of people," Warren told the Boston Herald. "I didn't support gambling the first time around and I don't expect to support it [now]."
Earlier this year, however, Warren's tone shifted. Before the National Congress of American Indians, the senator promised the tribal leaders in attendance she would fight against "our country's mistreatment of your communities." Shortly after making that promise, Warren sponsored the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act.