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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.
Merkley to Burgum: Our Public Lands Are Not for Sale
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, released the following statement after a hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of the Interior with Secretary Doug Burgum:
“Secretary Burgum testified as if things at the Department of the Interior are business as usual, while they are anything but.
“Tribal Nations are chronically underfunded and disproportionately impacted, yet Secretary Burgum defended a budget request to cut $1 billion from basic services and education. Secretary Burgum talked about achieving education outcomes across Indian Country but simultaneously wants to starve the programs Native children rely on, not only the schools themselves, many of which are in dilapidated conditions, but also for vital services like public safety, child welfare, and road maintenance for school buses."
TTAC Holds First Public Meeting Under New Administration
The Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee (TTAC) held its first public meeting under the Trump 2.0 administration on May 22, 2025, at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C.
All seven TTAC members attended the in-person meeting, focusing on advancing key tax policy issues impacting Tribal nations.
- W. Ron Allen, Tribal Chair and CEO of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (Washington State)
- Cora White Horse, Treasurer of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (South Dakota)
- Will Micklin, 4th Vice President of the Central Council of Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Alaska)
- Rodney Butler, Chairman, Mashantucket Pequot Tribe (Connecticut)
- Chief Allan, Chairman, Coeur d’Alene Tribe (Idaho)
- Martin Tucker, CFO, Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma)
- Carla Keene, Chairman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians (Oregon)
Representatives from key federal agencies, including the Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Department of the Interior, were in attendance. Notable participants included Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, Deputy Assistant for Tax Policy Kevin Salinger, and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Ken Bellmard.
The primary focus of this TTAC public meeting was to underscore the urgency of finalizing key regulations, including the long-anticipated General Welfare Exclusion (GWE) and the tax treatment rules for wholly-owned Tribally Chartered Corporate entities. The meeting also aimed to strengthen collaboration between the TTAC, the Treasury, and the IRS in addressing pressing Tribal tax issues.
Discussions highlighted the importance of enhancing Tribal sovereignty, tackling infrastructure and funding challenges, improving IRS services—such as removing offensive language—and included subcommittee updates on the GWE, Tribal economies, and efforts toward tax parity and reform.
NATIVE Act Grants Announced
The U.S. Forest Service and American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Select Recipients for NATIVE Act Grants
The selected project proposals aim to build infrastructure and strengthen capacity within Native communities over a two-year period. Funded through the USDA Forest Service/AIANTA NATIVE Act Grant Program, the following six recipients were awarded grants:
Cape Fox Cultural Foundation – Ketchikan, Alaska
Grant Award: $187,462
Project Title: Saxman Totem Park Restoration
Catawba Indian Nation Cultural Services Division – Rock Hill, South Carolina
Grant Award: $100,000
Project Title: Mánuu kúrii (Good Earth)
Chugach Regional Resources – Anchorage, Alaska
Grant Award: $226,240
Project Title: Ilakuilluki (“to share with them”)
Shoshone Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation – Owyhee County, Idaho
Grant Award: $224,606
Project Title: Togugunde (Heavens – pronounced Do-go-gun-duth) Observatory
Tlingit Haida Central Tribal Council – Juneau, Alaska
Grant Award: $54,751
Project Title: Co-Stewardship Totem Pole Carving Shed Project
Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA) – Wrangell, Alaska
Grant Award: $250,000
Project Title: Shtaxʼhéen Ḵwáan Totem Restoration Project
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