House appropriations hearing: tribal leaders warn hiring freezes and staff losses are disrupting services

The House Appropriations subcommittee on Interior and Environment held the first of three days of public witness hearings on programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives, where tribal leaders described immediate operational harm from recent federal hiring freezes and personnel terminations.

Tribal witnesses said the changes have delayed access to funds, slowed land-into-trust transactions and imperiled health, public safety and education services that tribes rely on. Donna Thompson, vice chair of the Fort Hall Business Council of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, told the panel she is "greatly concerned for the funding for tribes is at risk and that the federal government's ability to fulfill the treaty and trust responsibilities will be hindered by current hiring restrictions and the ongoing firing of federal employees." She urged Congress to act to "ensure there are no disruptions to tribal program funding and to protect the federal workers supporting Indian country."

Ranking Member Chellie Pingree echoed those concerns, saying the administration's early actions have "unleashed chaos and disruption into indigenous communities and created anxiety and uncertainty for tribal members over their employment status, the continuation of critical health care and educational services" and urged witnesses to "sound the alarm." Chairman Mike Simpson and other members also told witnesses they were monitoring agency actions closely and urged agencies to prioritize Indian country services.

Multiple tribal leaders provided examples of how staff losses or paused grant portals have immediate consequences. Chief Allan, chairman of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, described federal workforce reductions as a practical obstacle to completing land-into-trust transfers and other time-sensitive federal approvals. Michael Natchez, Uinta band representative, said his tribe recently lost seven of eight agency staff who had been assisting approvals and asked the committee to "ensure that those federal employees at the BIA, the BLM, and ONRR stay in place and are fully funded." Kirk Francis, chief of the Penobscot Nation, described weeks-long delays accessing the tribe's own trust funds after changes began.

Witnesses said the problem is not academic: clinics, sanitation projects, public-safety contracts and school construction depend on timely reviews and approvals. Stacy Shepherd of the Choctaw Nation described extensive tribal investments in education and health programs that would be jeopardized by funding interruptions. Several witnesses urged the committee to make tribal program funding mandatory rather than discretionary and to continue advanced appropriations for Indian Health Service (IHS).

Members asked agencies for updates. Chairman Simpson said his office had confirmed that annual discretionary interior appropriations for IHS and Indian Affairs had been unfrozen, while noting some Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds remained paused and the agencies were working to unfreeze them. He and others said they had been told the IHS layoff offer was rescinded and that none of the terminated Interior personnel identified for removal were law enforcement staff, though members and witnesses warned of continued retention risks if experienced employees accept deferred resignations or retirements.

The hearing illustrated widespread, cross‑regional concern: speakers represented reservations and tribal governments from Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah, Maine, Wisconsin, South Dakota, California and Texas. Witnesses repeatedly asked for clearer White House and agency guidance exempting treaty- and trust-related budgets and staffing actions from broad hiring freezes and for congressional language to protect already-awarded grants from being paused.

Members of the subcommittee and visiting colleagues — including House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole — said the committee has a bipartisan history working on Indian programs and that members would press agencies to minimize disruptions, though several warned that congressional appropriations alone cannot solve administrative implementation problems.

Tribal leaders closed by urging immediate, stabilizing steps: restore or protect agency points of contact, keep grant portals open for awarded funds, and prioritize federal staffing that supports tribal law enforcement, health care and land‑transfer processing. As Donna Thompson put it, the panel was asked to "ensure there are no disruptions to tribal program funding and to protect the federal workers supporting Indian country." Ending: committee members said they would continue oversight and pressed agencies to provide updates on which funds remained paused and on the staffing picture across relevant offices.