Key Takeaways
- •Tribal leaders urged the subcommittee to transition Indian Country funding from discretionary to mandatory to fulfill treaty obligations and address chronic shortfalls in healthcare, education, and public safety.
- •Darrell Seki (Chairman, Red Lake Nation) called for overturning the Oliphant decision to allow tribes to prosecute non-members for drug trafficking, specifically citing the devastating impact of fentanyl.
- •Rep. Simpson (R, ID-2) and Seki discussed jurisdictional gaps in law enforcement, with Simpson acknowledging the complexity of addressing the crisis of murdered and missing indigenous women.
- •Rep. McCollum (D, MN-4) and Rep. Pingree (D, ME-1) highlighted how federal budget cuts to the EPA and education programs disproportionately impact tribal water infrastructure and indigenous language preservation.
- •The subcommittee will incorporate these funding requests into the FY 2027 appropriations bill, prioritizing tribal law enforcement parity, advanced appropriations for healthcare, and critical infrastructure for sanitation.
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Hearing Analysis
Overview
This hearing served as a forum for tribal leaders and regional organizations to provide testimony on fiscal year 2027 appropriations for American Indian and Alaska Native programs. The proceedings focused on the federal government’s treaty and trust responsibilities, with witnesses emphasizing the urgent need for robust, mandatory funding to address systemic shortfalls in healthcare, public safety, education, and infrastructure. Tribal leaders highlighted how chronic underfunding and jurisdictional complexities—particularly regarding law enforcement and land management—continue to hinder tribal sovereignty and the well-being of their communities.
Key Testimony & Policy
Witnesses presented comprehensive funding requests for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Darrell Seki, Chairman of the Red Lake Nation, called for $32.6 billion for the BIA and BIE, a figure supported by the Tribal Interior Budget Council to reflect the actual cost of essential programs. Virgil Wind, Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, requested $27.1 billion for these agencies, emphasizing that underfunding directly results in weakened public safety and fewer educational opportunities. Regarding healthcare, requests for the IHS ranged from $63 billion to $74 billion, with leaders like John Johnson, President of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, advocating for the continuation and expansion of advance appropriations to ensure budget stability.
A major policy focus was the Tiwahe initiative, a social service program designed to promote tribal self-determination and family stability. Chairman Seki credited the program with a 70% reduction in home replacements for children and a five-year period with no youth suicides at Red Lake, urging Congress to make the program permanent and expand it to all tribes. Education was another priority, with calls to increase Johnson-O'Malley Assistance Grants by 25% and provide dedicated funding for Native American language immersion programs to preserve cultural identity.
Infrastructure and environmental stewardship were also central to the testimony. Michael Fairbanks, Chairman of the White Earth Nation, advocated for restoring tribal stewardship of the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge and urged robust funding for tribal transportation programs ahead of the 2026 reauthorization of National Surface Transportation Programs. Aja DeCoteau, Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), requested $66 million for the Rights Protection Implementation (RPI) program to support fisheries management and fulfill treaty-reserved fishing rights. Similarly, Jason Schlender of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) emphasized the need for RPI funding to maintain law enforcement and conservation efforts across ceded territories.
Notable Exchanges & Partisan Dynamics
A significant portion of the discussion centered on the jurisdictional challenges created by the 1978 Supreme Court decision in Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe. Chairman Seki and Rep. Michael Simpson (R, ID-2) engaged in a pointed exchange regarding the inability of tribes to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes on tribal lands, particularly drug dealers trafficking fentanyl. Rep. Simpson acknowledged that the current "jurisdictional mess" between tribal, county, state, and federal authorities contributes to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP).
Chairman Tom Cole (R, OK-4), the first Native American to chair the Appropriations Committee, discussed the historical decline of tribal housing support within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He noted that while tribal housing is funded through the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) in a separate appropriations bill, the lack of investment over 20 years has created a crisis. This was echoed by Winnay Wemigwase, Chairperson of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, who described how high property values in resort areas prevent tribal members and essential workers from finding affordable housing.
Rep. Betty McCollum (D, MN-4) provided a historical perspective on the "allotment" era, explaining how federal policies that divided tribal lands created the "checkerboard" jurisdictions that now make infrastructure projects like water and sewer lines significantly more expensive for tribes today.
Organizations Mentioned
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): Discussed extensively as the primary agency for tribal government services, with witnesses calling for massive funding increases for public safety, social services, and probate. - Indian Health Service (IHS): Identified as chronically underfunded; witnesses requested mandatory funding and criticized the 35% vacancy rate in healthcare providers. - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Mentioned regarding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the need for grants to address aging water infrastructure and protect wild rice. - Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC): Represented as a critical inter-tribal agency managing treaty rights across three states, facing challenges in retaining conservation officers due to low pay. - Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC): Highlighted for its role in salmon restoration and managing federal fishing access sites along the Columbia River. - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Discussed in the context of co-stewardship and the potential return of the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge to the White Earth Nation. - Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Mentioned regarding the critical need for increased NAHASDA funding to address the tribal housing shortage. - Enbridge Inc.: Mentioned by the White Earth Nation regarding the environmental impact of the Line 3 pipeline project on treaty-protected watersheds.
What's Next
The subcommittee will use this testimony to draft the fiscal year 2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Key follow-up items include potential oversight of the IHS hiring process and realignment plan. Tribal leaders also urged the subcommittee to advocate for the Parity of Tribal Law Enforcement Act and to work with other committees to address the jurisdictional gaps identified in the Oliphant decision. The reauthorization of National Surface Transportation Programs by September 2026 was also noted as a critical upcoming deadline for tribal infrastructure funding.
Transcript
Committee will come to order. Good morning and welcome to the first of our public witness hearings dedicated to American Indian and Alaska Native programs. I'd like to welcome all of the distinguished tribal elders and leaders here today. For the second year in a row, we had an unprecedented number of requests requiring us to extend our schedule to accommodate around 100 tribes and tribal organizations. These hearings are incredibly important and we appreciate the opportunity to hear from so many tribes and national regional tribal organizations across Indian Country. Indian Country has been and will continue to be a bipartisan priority for this subcommittee. I look forward to continuing to work with Ranking Member Pingree to expand the subcommittee's efforts to strengthen our federal commitment to honor our treaty and trust responsibilities with American Indians and Alaska Natives. Thank you for appearing before the committee and sharing your concerns and perspectives on these important topics. In terms of hearing logistics, I will call each panel of witnesses to the table one panel at a time. I'd like to ask everyone to please keep your testimony to five minutes. I understand the need in Indian Country is great and I don't want to disrespect anyone, but I will have to gavel, hit the gavel if folks run over so that we can hear from all of our witnesses. Just as a reminder, your full written testimony will be included in the record and I do promise that I will read the testimony actually. We will be using a timer to track progress of each witness, of each witness and when the yellow, when the light turns yellow, the witness will have one minute remaining to conclude their remarks. When the light turns red, I will have to ask the witness to stop so we can remain on schedule. We'll hear from every witness on each panel before members will be provided an opportunity to ask questions. Because we have a full day ahead, I request that we try to keep things moving so we can stay on schedule and respect each other's time. I also want to note that committee rules prohibit the use of outside cameras and audio equipment during these hearings. The hearings can be viewed in its entirety on the committee's website and an official hearing transcript will be available at gpo.gov. With that, I'm happy to yield now to our ranking distinguished member for any remarks she might have.
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