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.
HUD Seeks Tribal Consultation on Section 184 Program Improvements
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is inviting Tribal input on possible updates to the Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Program regulations aimed at reducing administrative burdens and expanding homeownership opportunities in Tribal communities.
Specifically, HUD is seeking recommendations to simplify program requirements, improve coordination with federal and Tribal housing initiatives, strengthen loss mitigation strategies, increase lender participation, and enhance communication between tribes and lending partners.
Comments are due March 28, 2026, and should be submitted to Section184consultation@hud.gov with the subject line: “Tribal Consultation on HUD Section 184 Program Rulemaking.”
Tribal input is critical to ensuring the Section 184 Program works effectively for Tribes and their members.
Indian Housing Block Grant Formula Census Challenge Deadline
The Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) has extended the deadline for submitting challenges to the U.S. Census data used to calculate the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) formula allocations to May 29, 2026.
Each year, ONAP is required to notify Indian Tribes and their Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) by June 1 of the data that will be used for the IHBG formula. However, because the necessary Census data for the FY 2027 allocations was not available in time, the notification was delayed until August 1, 2025.
As a result, ONAP is extending the regulatory deadline for submitting documentation to support Census challenges for the FY 2027 formula allocation from March 30, 2026, to May 29, 2026. This extension ensures that Indian Tribes and TDHEs have a comparable timeframe to review and challenge their Census data, consistent with prior fiscal years.
The Census data to be used in calculating the FY 2027 IHBG formula allocation is now available online.
Needs Data information at: https://ihbgformula.com/2027-