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NCAI urges mandatory federal funding for Indian country, cites $47.8 billion infrastructure backlog
Summary
NCAI leaders called for converting discretionary Indian country funding to mandatory, forward‑funded appropriations and cited a roughly $47.8 billion infrastructure backlog with line items for IHS facilities, sanitation, BIE schools and housing; speakers cited recent advanced appropriations for IHS as precedent.
Leaders from the National Congress of American Indians used a webinar to press for changes in federal budgeting for tribal programs and to outline long‑standing infrastructure and health funding shortfalls.
Larry Wright Jr., Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians, said funds appropriated for tribal programs "should be no less than advanced appropriations, mandatory rather than discretionary funding" and argued that mandatory, forward funding would better honor treaty and trust obligations. "Indian country funding should not be affected by federal funding uncertainties during budget negotiations or under continuing resolutions," Wright said.
Wright cited NCAI testimony from 2017 that estimated an Indian country infrastructure backlog of approximately $47.8 billion, with the following line items (as stated in testimony): $10.3 billion for Indian Health Service facilities, $12.5 billion for IHS sanitation, $1.3 billion for Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, $33.0 billion for Indian housing and $20 million for multi‑justice centers. He noted that in December 2022 Congress approved advanced appropriations for Indian health services funding as an example of protracted progress toward this goal.
Dr. Aaron Payman linked the funding argument to health outcomes: he cited U.S. Commission on Civil Rights data and CDC reporting that American Indian and Alaska Native populations face higher rates of poverty, substance use and declining life expectancy; he also referenced Volume 2 of a boarding‑school report that estimated the present‑value cost of forced assimilation at about $23.3 billion.
Payman described policy options intended to increase third‑party revenue for the Indian Health Service, including extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment and creating an IHS portability model similar to VA health care portability, which advocates say could help narrow the gap between the IHS’s current funding (described in the webinar as about $9 billion) and an IHS budget estimate of $50 billion used in prior IHS budget formulation work.
Wright and other presenters also discussed jurisdictional issues and court rulings, noting both favorable and adverse decisions have shaped tribal authority; presenters named the McGirt decision as a positive development and cited Oliphant v. Suquamish as an historic limitation tribes still face.
The speakers urged attendees to press candidates on their positions regarding treaty and trust obligations and called on tribal leaders to use campaign season to secure explicit commitments on funding and jurisdictional protections.
Next steps identified during the webinar included continuing outreach, elevating tribal concerns in candidate forums and following up with partner organizations engaged in legal and voter‑access work.
