Trump said funding freeze wouldn't affect tribes. But it hit services, programs 'across the board'

After the recent federal funding freeze, a coalition of tribal organizations is calling for confirmation that recent executive orders won’t harm programs and services their communities rely on.

Native American Rights Fund Matthew Campbell says the letter is a reminder that a history of forced assimilation and theft of tribal land has created a unique relationship between tribal nations and the U.S. government.

“There are many treaties that require the United States to provide these types of things,” said Miranda. “And so given this history and the unique obligation that the United States has to tribal nations, we're very concerned that the United States was not providing for and honoring those obligations.”

Campbell explained that federal funding pays to run certain hospitals and schools, and for services like law enforcement.

Despite memos claiming that sovereign entities wouldn’t be affected, he said: “There was a difference in terms of what they wrote down, and what they wanted to happen, and what was actually happening on the ground.”

Campbell said the funding freeze hit several programs and services, sparking lingering confusion.

“In the first few days, the freeze was across the board,” he said. “So everything from the law enforcement funding, hospitals, education, schools – kind of across the board, everything was frozen.”

This week’s letter, he explained, was meant as a reminder to the U.S. of its responsibility to consult with tribal governments before taking action that could harm them.

“It goes back really to the founding of the nation, right?” Campbell said. “Tribal nations are sovereign governments that have a political relationship with the United States.”

He says tribal nations’ sovereign status has been long understood. And a big part of that relationship means consulting tribal governments, on decisions that could harm them.