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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. Today marks 33rd day federal goverment partial shutdown. In all probability, this shutdown will become the longest in the country's history, which was 35 days long during the first Trump administration.
Mother Kuskokwim Statement Condemning Donlin Gold Project's FAST-41 Designation
The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition condemns the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s decision to add the Donlin Gold project to the FAST-41 list.
The Council’s decision disregards widespread opposition from Alaska Natives in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
The tribal coalition says this action is especially inappropriate as regional Tribes await federal agencies’ responses to court-identified permitting flaws and recover from the devastation of Typhoon Halong. Fast-tracking the process threatens vital environmental protections and silences Yukon-Kuskokwim communities that rely on healthy rivers for survival.
The Donlin Gold project endangers the Kuskokwim River and the communities sustained by it for millennia. It could raise residents’ utility bills by up to $265 a year, produce massive cyanide-laden tailings, and require a 316-mile gas pipeline through untouched lands—further jeopardizing already struggling salmon runs and subsistence resources.
FAST-41 was meant to streamline transportation infrastructure, not push through controversial projects that fail environmental review. The Council’s decision disregards widespread opposition from Alaska Natives in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
While project sponsors claim to value community input, their rush to accelerate permitting despite unresolved issues shows otherwise.
Medicare Enrollment is Open
Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15, 2025, through December 7, 2025. During this period, beneficiaries can review and make changes to their Medicare coverage for 2026, including switching plans or updating prescription drug coverage. Although under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), special enrollment periods have been changed, members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporation shareholders can still enroll year-round. We encourage everyone to take this opportunity to compare options and ensure their plan meets their current health needs. The changes made during Open Enrollment are effective January 1, 2026. Read about your options and find more information here.
N.M. Delegation Condemns Trump Administration’s Move to Begin Reversing Protections for Chaco Canyon
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) released the following statement condemning President Trump and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for initiating the process to fully revoke the protections around Chaco Canyon by reversing Public Land Order No. 7923.
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