Add #SovereignTribalNations to the list of 25 states resisting #Trump's #BudgetCuts !

#NativeCommunities could lose $24.5B under #Trump administration proposal
If upheld by the courts, the proposed freeze on #FederalGrants would affect nearly every tribe

by Amelia Schafer

Excerpt: " 'Nearly all Tribes would be affected by a federal grant freeze, with many facing the prospect of losing tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars — funding that is critical for supporting some of the most historically underserved communities in the United States,' the report concluded.

" 'When the federal government withholds funding from #Tribes and #NativeAmerican people, it’s not just a policy change. It’s a violation of those commitments — putting essential services at risk and undermining Tribal governing capacity.'

"A federal appeals court will decide if the administration has the legal authority to mass-suspend the grants, with arguments set in coming months in a lawsuit filed by the state of New York against President Donald Trump and his top administrators.

" 'as litigation around OMB’s funding freeze continues, it is essential that federal decisionmakers recognize the unique basis of funding for Tribes and #NativeAmerican people,' the report states. 'Funding to #IndianCountry is rooted in longstanding, legally-binding agreements between the United States and sovereign Tribal nations — not race, climate, or DEI.'

"At the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, the OMB issued a sweeping order announcing a halt to federal grants nationwide, throwing tribal programs into turmoil.

"Although the grant freeze was temporarily halted, the administration continues to push for its implementation, and tribes continue to report difficulties in accessing the already-approved funds, the report notes.

"The bulk of the at-risk funding is dispersed through programs such as the Department of Health and Human Services [#DHHS], the Bureau of Indian Affairs [#BIA] and the Bureau of Indian Education under the Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce and the #EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.

"If the funding freeze clears legal hurdles, critical projects across the country will be at risk, the Brookings report said. These projects include a $35 million grant to the #OglalaSioux Tribe for #broadband development, a $3 million grant to urban #NativeHealth board for community health worker training, and a $200,000 grant to the #Chickahominy Indian Tribe for preliminary #engineering and #environmental work towards a #childcare center.

" 'This is the building block of how the U.S. government pays back tribes for the land it took,' Maxim said.

"The report does not include the sweeping cuts approved under Trump’s so-called '#BigBeautifulBill' by Congress, which includes cuts to #Medicaid, #FoodStamps and other social programs that include Native people as well as others, Brookings officials said.

"The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization based in Washington, D.C. Maxim co-authored the report with Glencora Haskins, research associate and applied research manager."

Read more:
https://ictnews.org/news/tribes-could-lose-24-5b-under-trump-administration-proposal/