Native American Caucus Highlights Priorities for Indian Country in House Appropriations Bills

Statement

Today, the Congressional Native American Caucus Co-Chairs Deb Haaland (NM-01) and Tom Cole (Okla.-04) highlighted priorities included for Tribal governments and Native American families in House-passed appropriations bills for fiscal year 2021. The proposed federal investments in health, education, economic development, housing and more are critical to Indian Country. Betty McCollum (Minn.-04), Co-Chair Emeritus of the Congressional Native American Caucus and Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies delivered a full report to the caucus

"The United States has a government-to-government relationship with Native Nations, but the fact is that the federal government has left Native communities behind for decades," said Co-Chair Haaland. "Through funding in various appropriations bills this year, Native Nations will receive the support that they were promised by the US government. It is time that Native communities are granted the same funding for healthcare, education, economic development, public safety, and housing that communities across the US receive. I appreciate the work that my colleagues in the Congressional Native American Caucus have done to help prioritize this critical funding for Tribes."

"While I cannot support these bills in their current form, I am always encouraged to see attention drawn to funding programs that will benefit our tribal communities. Indeed, I worked hard to include many of the tribal provisions in these appropriations bills," said Co-Chair Cole. "In the days ahead, I am hopeful that both chambers can come together to negotiate final bills which protect and advance tribal interests. It's important to recognize that, without a bipartisan agreement, none of these important priorities will actually become law."

"As Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Indian Health Service, we started a process to listen and consult with tribal leaders as I wrote the FY 21 bill," McCollum said. "My commitment with this bill is to increase funding for education, health care, and public safety throughout Indian Country. As Native American communities battle the COVID-19 pandemic and are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, these investments complement the emergency funding passed by Congress to help Indian Country respond. We are committed to addressing the concurrent crises of Native American health disparities, climate change, and environmental justice. While there is much more work to do, our subcommittee will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to uphold the federal government's trust and treaty responsibilities to Native American communities."

As part of two legislative packages considered in July, the House passed proposed federal funding for the U.S. Department of Interior as well as for health, agriculture, veterans, and other related agencies that service Indian Country. Included in the bill that provides funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Indian Health Service (IHS) received $6.49 billion in overall funding for various programs -- including clinical services, mental health services, alcohol and substance abuse services, preventative health services, urban health services and facility management. The final House-passed bill also included $66.1 million for Urban Indian Health, which is $8.4 million above FY 2020 funding.

The Community Development Financial Institutions Program received $16 million and the Entrepreneurial Development Programs received $2 million for economic development. The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) received $180,739,000 in funding. An additional $1.5 billion emergency infrastructure funding for both BIE and IHS was included for school construction, infrastructure grants, and construction of health care facilities. Finally, a provision was included urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to responsibly and efficiently take action to increase access to broadband on rural Tribal lands and supports consultation with federally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Native villages and corporations and entities related to Hawaiian homelands.

Other infrastructure appropriations provide nearly $12 billion in state and Tribal assistance grants, including funding to ensure safe drinking water through $6.3 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, $3.9 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, and $500 million to reduce lead contaminants in drinking water.

About the Congressional Native American Caucus

The Congressional Native American Caucus seeks to educate members of Congress and encourage an open dialogue about issues affecting Native Americans. As part of this mission, the caucus regularly convenes briefings, considers the impact of legislation on Native Nations and provides a forum for members of Congress to exchange information, legislative ideas and research.

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