Tribal leaders urge one‑stop federal framework for climate resilience under HR 3654

Tribal leaders from Washington state and Administration officials told a House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs that HR 3654 — the Tribal Emergency Response Resources Act (TERRA Act) — could help tribes more quickly use federal funds to prepare for and respond to increasing climate and natural disaster threats.

The bill would authorize a Department of the Interior‑led, tribe‑driven framework to integrate federal funding and streamline permitting and reporting for resilience projects, proponents said. Representative Marie Glusenkamp Perez and Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler are cosponsors; Representative Marilyn Strickland (note: sponsor listed in hearing as “Randall”) introduced the measure and spoke in favor of it at the hearing.

Quentin Swanson, chairman of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, told the committee that Shoalwater’s reservation sits at sea level and faces rapid coastal erosion and tsunami risk. “Every step forward requires enormous resources,” Swanson said, describing projects to move parts of the community uphill and the difficulty of sequencing DOT, HUD and other funds. He described a case in which HUD released housing dollars while DOT road funding lagged, leaving the tribe unable to use some funds while costs rose.

The Department of the Interior signaled support for the TERRA Act’s intent. Brian Mercier, Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, told members the department “supports its intent and looks forward to working with the subcommittee to ensure efficient and effective implementation.” Mercier and others noted that prior interagency examples (such as the 477 workforce program) show the complexity of coordinating multiple federal agencies but that streamlined administration could reduce delays.

Discussion vs. decision: The hearing was informational; no committee vote or formal direction was recorded. Lawmakers and tribal witnesses discussed specific operational obstacles — mismatched timelines between agencies, duplicative reporting, and the challenge for smaller tribes that lack capacity to navigate multiple funding streams.

Concerns and clarifications: Witnesses emphasized the bill would not necessarily bypass environmental laws entirely but could streamline processes and reduce redundant reporting; Interior said it wanted to work with the committee on statutory and regulatory implementation details, including NEPA timing and durable legal authority. Ranking Member Ledger Fernandez pressed Interior on the agency’s fiscal‑year proposals that referenced program eliminations; Mercier said the department supported the projects funded by the Climate Resilience program and would coordinate on implementation.

Next steps: Supporters urged the subcommittee to move the bill forward and to continue drafting with Interior to resolve details around interagency coordination and environmental review processes. No final action occurred at the hearing.

Ending note: Tribal witnesses described the TERRA Act as a potentially life‑saving consolidation of federal support for tribes facing rapidly escalating climate threats.