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Committee adopts LFC recommendation for Indian Affairs; tribal broadcasting and tobacco cessation funding discussed
Summary
The subcommittee adopted the LFC recommendation for the Indian Affairs Department, which holds the budget flat compared with FY26 while the executive proposed a 1.5% increase. Members questioned shifts in performance measures, online training delivery, and a $249,300 tobacco cessation transfer; tribal public broadcasting tranches were described as a special-session response to federal funding declines.
Antonio Ortega (LFC analyst) and Nicole Macias (DFA analyst) presented the Indian Affairs difference sheet, noting the LFC recommendation maintains a flat operating budget while the executive proposes about a 1.5% increase driven largely by employer health insurance contributions and modest contractual and other-cost increases.
Secretary Josette Minette told the committee the agency’s request is largely flat; she described Q3 FY26 unspent operating balances (noted in the packet) and said remaining funds are expected to support ongoing activities such as suicide-prevention, entrepreneur training, Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) work, and Indigenous Youth Council programming.
Representative Little pressed officials on changes in reported performance measures — including the number of capital improvement plans funded and the count of tribal infrastructure training sessions — and Secretary Minette said measures were realigned to appropriations, some training moved online to increase accessibility, and tobacco cessation grant awards vary by application volume (two tribal applications for FY26 were mentioned).
On a $429,600 nonrecurring request for tribal public broadcasting, Secretary Minette explained the funds were split in a recent special session and are intended to maintain operations where federal funding has declined; the tribal portion would flow through Indian Affairs for two fiscal years.
The committee moved to adopt the LFC recommendation; Representative Little moved and Representative Hernandez seconded the motion. No objections were recorded and the LFC recommendation was adopted.
What’s next: the committee adopted the recommendation; staff will manage flagged follow-ups if members request additional review.
