Next on Native Bidaské: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Is Impacting Native American Communities

Details

By Kristen Lilya, Native StoryLab

February 05, 2026

When Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the headlines came and went fast. But in Indian Country, the effects didn’t fade.

Next on Native Bidaské, host Levi Rickert sits down with Brookings Institution experts Rob Maxim and Glencora Haskins to unpack a new report that traces what happens when federal policy shifts collide with tribal realities. At the center of the conversation: the repeal of key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, and what that rollback means for Native communities already navigating fragile funding systems.

The Brookings Institution report finds that before those provisions were repealed, roughly $2 billion in IRA funding had flowed directly to tribal entities, including $1.5 billion earmarked for clean energy projects. For many tribes, this wasn’t abstract policy—it was active planning, infrastructure development, and economic opportunity already underway.

So what happens when that funding disappears?

As Maxim and Haskins explain, the issue goes deeper than a single bill. The conversation reveals a familiar pattern: federal programs that acknowledge tribal needs on paper, but fail to account for how tribal governments actually operate. From limited administrative capacity to chronic data gaps, tribes are often expected to meet verification and reporting standards designed for states—not sovereign nations.

The panel explores:

• How $2 billion in IRA funding reached tribal entities—and what its rollback means
• Why federal funding remains unreliable for tribal governments
• The burden placed on Native citizens to prove exemptions under SNAP work requirements
• The urgent need for better tribal data systems, verification tools, and federal support

This episode doesn’t just analyze a report. It exposes the real-world consequences of policy decisions made far from tribal communities—and asks what accountability looks like when the federal government changes course.

READ THE REPORT

For anyone trying to understand how national policy actually plays out on the ground in Indian Country, this is a conversation worth sitting with.

Watch Native Bidaské on Facebook, YouTube, and Nativenewsonline.net.

This Bidaské episode is brought to you by the American Indian College Fund.

Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund is the nation’s largest Native-led and Native-serving charity dedicated to expanding access to higher education for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The College Fund provides scholarships and programmatic support to help students graduate and thrive in their chosen careers. It also supports the 34 accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) across the country.

Recently, the College Fund launched Because of You, a campaign honoring tribal college faculty—the heart of Native higher education. Because of You is an expression of gratitude for the dedication, passion, and presence of TCU faculty, and the many ways they support students every day. The centerpiece of the campaign is a powerful tribute video told from students’ perspectives that celebrates learning in community, preserving identity, and realizing dreams. To watch the video and support the American Indian College Fund’s mission, visit: https://collegefund.org/becauseofyou/.