More than $300 billion in federal funding meant for Indian Country has been blocked, according to a tracker recently compiled by the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Tribes argue President Donald Trump is slashing away at spending through terminating grants and freezing funds they deem essential for their sovereignty.
“When you just go through and make large cuts, it’s going to have that trickle down effect into our communities,” said Chris James, who is Eastern Cherokee and CEO of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. “It doesn’t matter which administration comes into power. We spend a lot of time just sort of educating about what tribal sovereignty means, what is a trust responsibility.”
“A lot of folks assume that for tribes, all the funding comes from BIA or Department of Interior, and that’s just not true,” he added. “Every department throughout the federal government has some sort of connection to Indian Country.”
The Mesa-headquartered organization released an assessment this month, stemming from a survey of 100 tribal leaders, decision makers and staff. Their message to the Trump administration: “A strong Indian Country is good for America.”
“The chainsaw approach, it hurts jobs, programs, all of us in Arizona. We want to see it more done with a scalpel,” James said. “We’re constantly reminding the administration of their responsibilities, making sure that the administration hears us.”
Typically, states with larger reservations and Indigenous populations — like Arizona with its 22 federally recognized tribes — receive more federal funding due to the U.S. trust responsibilities enshrined in treaties ratified by acts of Congress.
Almost half of the Grand Canyon State’s revenue comes from federal dollars, with Arizona ranking third overall behind Louisiana and Alaska.
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