The Committee on Appropriations Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommittee hosted American Indian and Alaska Native public witness hearings in Washington, D.C., on February 25 and 26.

The hearings brought together tribal leaders to testify on issues and policy priorities for fiscal year 2026.

In a press release, House appropriations committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who is Chickasaw, and subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) reiterated their commitment to working towards upholding the country’s trust and treaty obligations and ensuring strong investments to address critical needs.

 “As the first Native American to lead the House Appropriations Committee, tribal issues and America’s trust and treaty responsibilities remain central to my policy decisions,” said Cole. “…the testimony spoke to the heart of strides made and challenges that remain throughout Indian Country. Sharing these perspectives educates members and the public, and I have also been in contact with the administration on central facets and duties to tribal communities.”

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community President Martin Harvier represented the Community at the hearings and spoke about a variety of funding priorities for the FY 2026 federal budget. Harvier focused on programs serving tribal governments including the Indian Health Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education, along with other granting agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency.

In one recommendation offered for consideration for FY 2026 appropriations for the IHS, Harvier urged Congress to make it clear that the IHS must be permanently exempt from across-the-board funding freezes, firing freezes, workforce reduction efforts, sequestrations and recissions.

“Most recently, we understand that the IHS may be included in efforts to trim the federal workforce by terminating employees still in their probationary period,” said Harvier. “This would be devastating to Indian Country and comes at a time when there is already a more than 30 percent vacancy rate in critical positions across the IHS.”

The IHS is the only federally funded service providing direct patient care that is not exempt from sequestration, which are automatic spending cuts that occur through the withdrawal of funding for certain government programs.

“… Chronic underfunding of the Indian health system has had detrimental impacts on our communities,” said Harvier, noting that American Indians and Alaska Natives are disproportionately affected by preventable chronic health conditions.

Harvier continued, “In our Community, these impacts directly result in an average life expectancy of just 55 years. Just across the reservation border in Scottsdale, Arizona, the average life expectancy is 85 years. We can, and must, do better.”

Regarding the U.S. Department of the Interior efforts, the SRPMIC made several recommendations, including that Congress should provide additional funding for Indian land consolidation efforts and that the BIA must acknowledge staffing issues and reduce realty transaction approval delays.

Due to staffing shortages, the local BIA Agency Office, the Salt River Agency (SRA), is covering two agencies (Pima and Salt River) and is present at SRA only one day per week, according to Harvier.

As a result, approval for rights-of-way regularly exceeds the 60-day timeframe required under 25 CFR § 169.123, causing significant delays for infrastructure and economic projects.

“Wait times have significantly worsened since mid-2020, with no clear justification from BIA for the excessive review timelines,” said Harvier.

Harvier recommended a renewed support for the Land Buy-Back Program (LBBP), which ended in 2022, leaving tribes without a dedicated federal funding source for land consolidation efforts.

“The SRPMIC has over 1,000 active allotments within the Community boundaries, with almost half being considered highly fractionated (50 or more owners),” said Harvier.

“Without continued land consolidation, fractionation will increase, complicating land management and probates.”

While in Washington, Harvier also met with U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton (Ariz.-04) and David Schweikert (Ariz.-01).

SRPMIC Council member Michael Dallas Sr. also met with newly appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The two were photographed with Kennedy holding a hat that says, “SRPMIC ‘5 In 5,’” referring to the Community’s goal to increase the average lifespan of the Community by five years within five years. Indian Health Service is an agency under Health and Human Services.

Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis also represented O’odham by testifying the GRIC’s needs, which include legislative language to support expansion of a school, funding for the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Section 105(l) Lease Program and $5 million to implement the Gila River Indian Community Federal Rights-of-Way, Easements and Boundary Clarification Act.

In his conclusion, Lewis addressed the Committee about the recent freezes within the U.S. Government under the Trump administration.

“The community would also like to take this opportunity to note for the committee the substantial turmoil that the recently announced and unannounced freezes on federal funding have had on our community and Indian Country as a whole,” said Lewis.

He continued, “Funding for tribal programs is statutorily authorized and appropriated and upholds the federal trust responsibility for tribes. Our relationship with the federal government is a political one, government-to-government, and we hope that the Committee can take such steps as are appropriate to ensure that the turmoil and confusion that has resulted from the freezes that were announced or implied, is ended and funding that you appropriate is delivered timely to the tribes for which it is intended.”