Tribal leaders press Appropriations subcommittee to protect health, water, law enforcement and infrastructure funding

Members of the House Appropriations subcommittee opened a multi‑day hearing on federal funding for American Indian and Alaska Native programs with a series of detailed appeals from tribal governors, council leaders and advocacy groups about urgent needs in health care, water settlements, law enforcement, education and infrastructure.

Tribal leaders told the panel that recent executive actions and the possibility of agency hiring freezes threaten essential services. Governor Myron Armijo of Santa Ana Pueblo warned that “terminating … nearly a thousand employees of the Indian Health Service was under consideration,” and multiple witnesses urged Congress to shield Indian Health Service (IHS) programs from budget freezes and to provide advanced or mandatory appropriations where possible.

Why it matters: Tribal nations said funding disruptions would hit already underresourced programs hardest — from rural IHS clinics to tribal courts, detention facilities and school buildings — and stressed that federal support implements treaty and trust responsibilities rather than discretionary benefits.

Tribal health and staffing: Several witnesses urged the subcommittee to preserve IHS funding, expand staffing and move some cost categories out of annual discretionary appropriations. Governor Harry A. Antonio Jr. of the Pueblo of Laguna framed the federal requests as part of the government’s trust responsibility, and Acoma Governor Charles Riley asked for permanent, advanced appropriations for IHS programs including the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI). Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin of the Cherokee Nation urged oversight of IHS contracting and warned against parallel programs that duplicate tribal health systems.

Several Alaska and Pacific Northwest tribes described geographic and operational complications for health care. Cynthia Peterson, president of the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, said the Alaska area “overspent its PRC allocation by $44,000,000” in FY2023 and urged additional PRC funding. Multiple witnesses asked Congress to exempt IHS from hiring freezes, sequestrations and rescissions and to treat contract support costs and section 105(l) leases as mandatory spending rather than discretionary line items.

Water settlements and infrastructure: Water settlements were raised repeatedly. Governor Antonio, Acoma and others pressed for funding of the Rio San Jose and Rio Jemez water settlements; Hualapai Chairman Clark described the Hualapai settlement as “an historic settlement” enacted as public law (noted during testimony as 01/4049) and said a $312,000,000 trust fund is meant to support implementation. The subcommittee heard warnings that unless settlement trust funds and appropriations are identified and protected, negotiated agreements “could evaporate” by statutory funding deadlines.

Public safety, courts and corrections: Several tribes urged increased funding for law enforcement, detention, and tribal court systems. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation said it expanded police forces and court capacity following the McGirt decision but still faces shortfalls, and Metlakatla recommended $100–150 million as an estimate to construct a new 1,000‑bed detention facility. Witnesses urged dedicated, stable funding to make tribal policing and detention sustainable and to reduce reliance on overtime and long transfers to distant jails.

Education and facilities: Witnesses pressed for more funding for Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools and tribal colleges. Winnebago Tribe officials said Little Priest Tribal College enrollment doubled and that campus buildings — some repurposed from mid‑20th century orphanage structures — require immediate maintenance and expansion funds. Multiple witnesses asked that longstanding facility backlogs be addressed more rapidly.

Broadband, Alaska and remote services: Arctic and Alaska witnesses described recurring broadband outages caused by damaged undersea fiber and asked the subcommittee to fund redundancy projects; the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope described being denied some federal broadband grants on the basis that its service area was “served,” despite repeated outages that left hospitals and emergency services offline.

Policy fixes requested: Common proposals included (1) advanced or mandatory appropriations for IHS and for contract support costs and section 105(l) leases; (2) preservation of IHS staffing levels and exclusion of IHS from hiring freezes or rescissions; (3) stable appropriations paths for water settlements or access to settlement/judgment funds; (4) targeted increases for tribal law enforcement, detention contracts and tribal colleges; and (5) formula or non‑competitive funding options for remote communities and tribal infrastructure.

Quotations and attributions: Governor Myron Armijo of Santa Ana Pueblo said “terminating … nearly a thousand employees of the Indian Health Service was under consideration,” an action he said would “devastate the delivery of vital services to Indian country.” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin of the Cherokee Nation said his “greatest responsibility, is protecting our 7,000 square mile reservation, and defending tribal sovereignty,” noting the nation’s reliance on federal appropriations to fund court and public safety work after McGirt. Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community warned that a “chainsaw approach” to cuts will paralyze federal employees and destabilize tribal services.

Next steps: Witnesses urged the subcommittee to translate testimony into sustained budget priorities for FY2026 — including consideration of mandatory funding paths — and to protect the timing and staffing needed to implement settled agreements, maintain health services, and avoid service interruptions for tribal communities.

The hearing continued with additional panels on specific water settlements, NAGPRA implementation and other tribal program needs; members said the subcommittee will use testimony to help shape FY2026 Interior and related appropriations proposals.