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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
Treasury Consultation on Adoption Tax Credit & Tribal Government Parity Announced
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced plans to accelerate its consultation process to support the implementation of an enhanced adoption tax credit for Tribal adoptions in 2025. A virtual Tribal consultation session is scheduled for September 15th at 1:00 PM EST.
👉 Register for the Consultation
This action follows the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB, P.L. 119-21) on July 4th, which included a provision expanding the federal adoption tax credit. The expansion was originally introduced in the Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2025 (S.2022) by Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Murkowski (R-AK) and was later incorporated into both the House and Senate versions of the OBBB.
Among its key provisions, the OBBB added Section 70403, which affirms that determinations of "special needs" made by Indian Tribal governments are to be treated on equal footing with those made by state authorities. This change ensures that when a Tribal government determines a child has special needs, adoptive Tribal families will qualify for the enhanced tax credit and the accompanying financial support.
A recent Dear Tribal Leader letter from the Treasury outlines specific examples of how these changes will benefit Tribal families. For example:
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Taxpayer C, who finalizes a Tribal Court adoption in 2025 with a special needs determination from a Tribal child welfare agency, is eligible for the full $17,280 adoption tax credit.
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If Taxpayer C has no federal tax liability but completes a valid 2025 Tribal adoption with a special needs determination, they may still claim a refundable portion of up to $5,000 for the 2025 tax year.
The federal adoption tax credit helps offset the cost of adopting a child. It allows individuals to claim qualified adoption expenses up to a maximum amount—in 2025, this amount is $17,280. Historically, the credit was non-refundable, meaning it could only be used to reduce tax liability. However, Section 70402 of the OBBB makes part of the credit—up to $5,000 (adjusted for inflation)—refundable, beginning in tax year 2025. This means eligible taxpayers with little or no tax liability can still receive a portion of the credit as a refund.
USDOT Announces $40 Million Funding to Improve Tribal Roads
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on Frieday announced over $40 million in available funding to help Tribal governments improve roadways and address transportation safety issues through the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF).
This announcement will help eligible applicants – the 574 federally recognized Tribes – meet their transportation infrastructure priorities and help reduce the risk of serious roadway departures and fatal crashes, particularly for those living and working in Native American and Alaska Native communities. Project improvements may include measures that keep drivers in their lanes, enable safe recovery along roadsides, and strategies that reduce the severity of accidents.
Examples of Removed Climate Change and Environmental Justice Language:
- “FHWA’s goal is to encourage the advancement of projects that address climate change and sustainability. To enable this, FHWA encourages funding recipients to consider climate change and sustainability throughout the planning and project development process, including the extent to which projects under TTPSF align with the President’s greenhouse gas reduction, climate resilience, and environmental justice commitments.”
- “FHWA encourages recipients to fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support fiscally responsible land use and transportation efficient design, or incorporate electrification or zero emission vehicle infrastructure.
- “In addition, FHWA encourages recipients to consider projects under TTPSF that support climate change resilience, including consideration of the risks associated with wildfires, drought, extreme heat, and flooding, in line with guidance for projects in floodplains.”
- “The FHWA also encourages recipients to consider projects under TTPSF that address environmental justice concerns.”
Lawmakers Urge HHS Visit to Gallup Indian Medical Center Over Care Delays from Trump-Era Policy
Following recent reporting that new, internal policies in the Trump Administration — implemented via presidential executive orders and the President’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) — are delaying and reducing patient care at Gallup Indian Medical Center, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) formally invited Mark Cruz, a Tribal citizen of the Klamath Tribes and Senior Advisor to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to visit Gallup Indian Medical Center and witness firsthand how the Administration's bureaucratic red tape is limiting access to basic and essential health care services like ultrasounds and emergency care.
Heinrich and Leger Fernández's invitation comes as an immediate follow-up to an earlier letter sent by members of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation, where the lawmakers praised the hard working health professionals at Gallup and demanded answers from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Indian Health Service (IHS) Acting Director Benjamin Smith upon learning that medical services at the hospital had been significantly suspended or reduced.
The New Mexico lawmakers continue to cite a new “Presidential Appointee Approver and Departmental Efficiency Review” (PAA-DER) policy that is causing delays in standard contract renewals for essential personnel, equipment, and services at Gallup Indian Medical Center. The burdensome process restricts the ability of health care workers to immediately diagnose and treat urgent conditions, including maternal and emergency care.
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