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- By Native News Online Staff
Happy Monday Morning! Even though the U.S. Senate and the White House reached an agreement on the federal budget, the federal government still went on a partial shutdown on Saturday, January 31, 2026. The House of Representatives is taking up its side of the bill today according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. Native News Online will report on any impacts on Indian Country as the day unfolds.
Here are some articles you may have missed this past weekend:
Indian Health Service Kicks Off Largest Hiring Wave in Agency’s History
Senate Passes Funding Deal, Partial Government Shutdown Likely as House Delays Vote
The U.S. Senate on Friday evening passed a broad government funding package intended to keep most federal agencies operating through the end of the fiscal year, but unresolved disputes over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding make a partial federal government shutdown likely to begin this weekend.
Senators approved the bipartisan measure by a 71–29 vote, sending it to the House of Representatives, which is currently out of session and is not expected to take up the bill until Monday. Because current funding expires at midnight Friday, some federal agencies could begin shutdown procedures early Saturday morning.
Deb Haaland Criticizes Noem for Withholding FEMA Disaster Relief from New Mexico
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), who is running to be the next governor of New Mexico, on Friday sharply criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for withholding more than $1 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief funds from New Mexico, according to a report from NOTUS.
The report comes as Noem has also drawn criticism for aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in New Mexico communities, actions Haaland says are putting residents at risk while urgently needed disaster preparedness funding remains stalled.
Among the projects delayed is wildfire mitigation funding for Los Alamos, home to Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the state’s largest employers with nearly 18,000 workers. The area faces increasing wildfire threats as climate-driven disasters intensify across the Southwest.
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