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By Tina Tyler and Paul Pickett The Trump Administration’s continuing efforts to cut funds already approved for a variety of local projects has caused tribes to band together in joint responses/lawsuits. A September 2025 report from Portland State University detailed the significant risks to tribal funding in the Northwest, sparking heightened concerns.
President Donald Trump’s new spending bill threatens nearly half of federal funding allocated in 2024 to federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native nations. Roughly $530 million of the $1.19 billion allocated to Northwest tribal nations in fiscal year 2024 — used to fulfill the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations to Native American and Alaska Native tribes — is at risk of being cut. These funds come through agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others that have also seen significant funding cuts. These cuts threaten vital programs that benefit tribes. Julie Johnson, State Committeewoman representing Clallam County Democrats and Chair of the WA State Democrats Native American Caucus said, “Like everyone in Clallam County we are all concerned with the Medicaid and Medicare budget cutbacks and how it is going to affect our Tribal Clinics and hospitals in Clallam County that we all use and need.” Olympic Peninsula tribes have joined together with the Coalition for Tribal Sovereignty, a coalition of national Native advocacy organizations, including National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the oldest and largest Native organization in the USA. The coalition has sent a series of letters to federal officials to educate and urge them to protect legally mandated Tribal programs from harm while implementing policy priorities. Johnson shared a list of the letters that NCAI submitted to government departments in Washington DC this past month:
The Governor commented, “I’m laying out my vision for fostering meaningful government-to-government relationships.” Cowlitz Indian Tribe Chairman, William (Bill) Iyall praised Governor Ferguson’s action: “The executive order sets a new standard for engagement that will strengthen the relationship with Washington Tribes and lay the groundwork for stronger collaboration as we work to address the complex challenges before both Indian Country and the State of Washington.” Source:https://governor.wa.gov/news/2025/governor-ferguson-sets-new-foundation-state-agencies-foster-partnerships-tribal-nations. Other sources: https://www.investigatewest.org/northwest-native-nations-could-lose-hundreds-of-millions-in-federal-funding-report-says/ https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/oregon/articles/2025-09-25/report-nearly-half-of-all-federal-funding-for-tribes-at-risk-under-trumps-big-beautiful-bill Comments are closed.
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