Senate Bill Backs Native Programs
What the 2026 Interior Appropriations bill means for tribal healthcare, safety, and schools.
The Senate Appropriations Committee just passed its 2026 Interior Appropriations bill and for once, it’s good news for Indian Country.
Tribal healthcare gets more stability with advance funding, so clinics won’t have to worry about shutting down mid-year.
More money is headed to tribal police, courts, and Missing & Murdered Indigenous People programs to make communities safer.
Funding is maintained for tribal schools, colleges, and Native language programs so kids don’t get left behind.
It’s not a fix for centuries of broken promises, but it’s a real step toward giving tribes the resources to govern ourselves.
Most people don't lose sleep over congressional budget battles. But in Indian Country? We're watching every line item, because those numbers translate directly into whether our parents can get their diabetes medication at the tribal clinic, or whether there's a tribal police officer who can respond when someone goes missing from our community.
Last week brought some rare good news. The Senate Committee on Appropriations passed its version of the 2026 Interior Appropriations bill, and for once, it doesn't gut tribal programs. In fact, it actually strengthens funding in areas where Native communities have been hanging on by a thread for years.
Why We Care So Much About Federal Budgets
Here's the thing non-Natives often don't understand: the federal government owes us. Not as charity, but as a legal obligation written into treaties our ancestors signed centuries ago. In exchange for hundreds of millions of acres of land, the U.S. promised to provide healthcare, education, and public safety to tribal nations forever.
But promises are cheap. Keeping them costs money. And for generations, Congress has treated tribal funding like an afterthought, cutting programs, delaying payments, leaving entire communities in limbo during government shutdowns.
This bill starts to change that pattern.
Healthcare That Doesn't Disappear Overnight
Picture this: You're running a small-town hospital, but every single year you have to wait months, sometimes past the start of the fiscal year, to find out if you'll have enough money to keep operating. That's been reality for Indian Health Service facilities across the country.
My cousin works as a nurse at a tribal health center. She's told me stories about ordering medical supplies with crossed fingers, hoping Congress wouldn't slash their budget mid-year. About talented doctors leaving because they couldn't handle the uncertainty.
The advance funding provision in this bill changes that nightmare. It means tribal hospitals and clinics get their budgets a full year ahead of time. Doctors can actually plan. Patients know their clinic will still be there next month. It sounds basic, but for us, it's revolutionary.
Justice That Actually Protects Our People
Native women are murdered at rates ten times higher than other demographics. Our children disappear and barely make the news. And too often, our tribal courts and police departments are so underfunded they can't properly investigate, prosecute, or prevent these tragedies.
I think about my family and friends who should be concerned about graduating from high school and college, not about becoming another statistic. The funding increases in this bill for tribal law enforcement and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People programs are not abstract policy victories. They're about keeping us and them safe.
The bill provides real money for tribal police officers, prosecutors, and courts. It means we can build justice systems that understand our communities, our laws, our ways of handling conflict and healing.
Schools Our Kids Deserve
A few years ago, I visited several Bureau of Indian Education funded schools. One visit stood out amongst the rest as kids were learning in trailers because the main building had a collapsing roof. In this decade. In America.
Too many Native students are getting their education in facilities that would be condemned anywhere else, with outdated textbooks and overworked teachers. Meanwhile, our kids are losing their languages because there's no funding for cultural programs.
This bill doesn't fix everything overnight, but it stops the bleeding. It maintains funding for tribal schools and colleges, supports teacher training, and yes, keeps language programs alive so the next generation doesn't lose what previous generations fought to preserve.
What Sovereignty Actually Means
Politicians love to talk about "respecting tribal sovereignty," but sovereignty without resources is just a nice platitude on government press release. Real sovereignty means having the funding to run our own healthcare systems, educate our own children, and protect our own communities according to our own values and laws.
When tribal nations have stable, adequate funding, we don't just survive, we innovate. We create healthcare models that work for rural communities. We develop educational approaches that honor both traditional knowledge and modern skills. We find solutions to problems that have stumped state and federal governments for decades.
This bill recognizes that investment in tribal self-determination isn't just morally right, it's smart policy.
The Road Ahead
Don't get me wrong, this Senate bill isn't going to solve 150 years of broken promises overnight. There are still massive gaps in funding, still communities without basic services, still too many of our people falling through cracks in the system.
But it's a start. A real start.
Now the bill goes to negotiations with the House, where it could get watered down or stripped entirely. That's why those of us in Indian Country are watching closely, calling our representatives, making sure they understand: this isn't just about budget lines. It's about whether the United States finally starts keeping its word.
This is what it looks like when America actually honors its promises to Native people. Let's make sure it doesn't get lost in the political shuffle.