Putting Tribal Sovereignty
WASHINGTON – On June 3, the House Appropriations Committee advanced legislation funding the Department of Interior for the upcoming fiscal year. The bill increases funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) by almost 30%, a significant increase amidst cost-cutting efforts throughout the federal government.
While the largest funding increases went to Tribal Public Safety and Justice programs, the legislation would increase funding for Trust – Natural Resource Management by $24.4 million to $352 million, a 7.5% increase. This account funds critical natural management and agricultural services. The bill increases funding for irrigation operations and maintenance (+$1 million), Tribal management and development programs (+$6.7 million), agriculture (+$0.6 million), and resource management plan oversight (+$1.2 million).
The Committee also increased funding for BIA Trust – Real Estate Services by approximately 6% to $180 million. Real estate services include trust services, probate, and the Land Title and Records Office, which provide essential real estate services for producers working on trust lands. Producers on trust lands must often work with BIA Real Estate Services to secure Title Status Reports (TSRs) and appraisals that are required for common farm transactions, such as securing a Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan. Due to staff shortages and backlogs, some producers must wait weeks or even months to secure these documents, leading to delays in putting seeds into the ground or purchasing livestock.
Outside BIA, the legislation cuts the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) State, Private, and Tribal Forestry program by 9% to $283 million, which may strain Tribes’ ability to conduct forest management, protect Treaty resources, and reduce wildfire risk.
At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Committee cut funding for State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) by 16% to $3.7 million. STAG supports Tribal environmental programs to develop and enforce water quality standards, monitor pollution, respond to contamination, and participate in the federal permitting process. Cuts to the program may have significant impacts on access to and protection of culturally significant — and often treaty protected — foods, such as fish and wild rice.
At the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Committee increased funding for rangeland management by $3 million (+3%), maintaining current funding levels for cultural resource management at $19.2 million and wild horse and burro management at $144 million.
For the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Committee provided $6.3 million for Tribal Wildlife Grants (+$100,000), $74 million for the National Fish Hatchery Operations (-$5 million), and $144 million for Aquatic Habitat and Species Conservation (-$7.3 million).
What’s next?
The House of Representatives will vote on the FY27 Interior Appropriations bill, likely sometime this summer. The Senate has not yet introduced their version of the bill. Current government funding expires on Sept. 30, 2026. If Congress cannot reach an agreement on funding by the September deadline, it may instead pass a short-term continuing resolution that temporarily extends current funding levels. Without a continuing resolution or new appropriations bills, the federal government could enter a full or partial government shutdown.