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- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Sovereignty
A coalition of over 20 organizations — including the National Congress of American Indians, National Indian Health Board, Indian Gaming Association, NAFOA and others — launched a resource center this week to help tribal nations respond to federal funding cuts and staffing reductions that threaten critical services in Indian Country.
The hub collates resources from 20 tribal leader councils and Native-serving nonprofits that are part of The Coalition Group. Those resources include coalition advocacy and communications sent to the White House and Congress, as well as an ongoing list of news stories around federal actions that could impact Indian Country. Tribal members can also find information about their congressional representatives, as well as contact information for intergovernmental affairs leads across the federal government.
The coalition site also tracks ongoing surveys from various organizations, such as this one from the Native American Rights Fund that aims to track the potential impacts of cuts to federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, the Internal Revenue Service, and others.
Much of the coalition’s communication centers on honoring trust and treaty obligations between sovereign governments, and advocates for exempting tribal services and their providers from President Trump’s wider wider efforts against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
“This hub was established to safeguard Indian Country's interests against ongoing executive orders and federal funding cuts, offering a wealth of resources to support Tribal Nations and communities,” The Coalition Group wrote in a press release. “This hub is a powerful tool for those working to uphold the nation-to-nation relationship between Tribal Nations and the United States.”
The hub was formed after tribal-serving federal agencies were affected by actions taken by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That department has led the charge in slashing staff at the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Indian Tribal Governments, staff at two tribal colleges, and staff throughout the Department of Agriculture, among others.
These reductions come alongside a range of terminated leases that have, in turn, closed or will close Bureau of Indian Affairs offices, IHS facilities, and other federal offices that Native Americans and tribes access. Per the coalition hub, these cuts strain an already understaffed and overworked set of service providers for Indian Country.
“It’s a destabilizing action,” NCAI President Mark Macarro told the Associated Press in a Thursday story about lease cuts. “I really have to think we have to assume the worst, unfortunately.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that coalition behind the website, which includes NCAI.
