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Tribes brace for cuts in federal funds under budget sequester





With no deal in sight in Washington, D..C., tribes across the nation are preparing for big cuts in federal funds as the budget sequester kicks in later today.

The Cherokee Natoin of Oklahoma stands to lose $14.5 million in federal funding, or 2.3 percent of the tribe's budget, The Tulsa World reported. The Muscogee Nation, also in Oklahoma, expects to lose between $12 million and $15 million.

"You're not going to see the end of the world and we have a plan to mitigate the effects as much as we can. But people are going to feel this," Lacey Horn, the tribe's treasurer, told the paper.

The Navajo Nation is due to lose between $23 million and $30 million. Funds from the Indian Health Service for facilities on the reservation could be cut by $56 million.

"It's going to create a bigger mess," Clara Pratte, the executive director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office, told The Farmington Daily Times.

Get the Story:
Tribal governments brace for sequester's impact (The Tulsa World 3/1)
Navajo Nation could take $30M hit with budget cuts (The Farmington Daily-Times 2/28)

Related Stories:
Eastern Cherokees prepare for budget hit with sequestration (2/27)
Indian programs at Interior face $130M cut under sequester (2/26)
Agency leaders detail effects of sequester on Indian programs (2/15)

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