Bureau of Indian Affairs hosts budget briefing for tribal leaders

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Youth from northern Arizona unite in support of Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day on May 5, 2021. Source: FY2022 Interior Budget in Brief

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

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The Biden administration is holding a briefing to inform tribal leaders about the fiscal year 2022 budget request for Indian Affairs programs at the Department of the Interior.

Bryan Newland, a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community who serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at Interior, will host the call. It takes place from 1pm to 2pm Eastern on Wednesday afternoon.

“The President’s FY 2022 budget request for Indian Affairs recognizes that key to building back better in Indian Country are serious investments that support tribal self-sufficiency, self-determination, and sovereignty,” Newland said in a news release.

“It ensures that Indian Affairs’ mission of service to tribes continues and supports its role in maintaining DOI’s nation-to-nation relationship and trust responsibilities,” added Newland, who has been formally nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

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To participate in the tribal leader briefing, use the following information:

Conference Line: 800-857-5055
Passcode: 6951606

The FY2022 budget request was released on Friday. It seeks $2.7 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which represents $609.9 million over current levels.

The request for the Bureau of Indian Education, which is treated separately from the BIA, is $1.3 billion. The amount is $110.6 million above the current fiscal year.

The Bureau of Trust Funds Administration, a recently created entity to handle most of the duties of the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, would receive $110.7 million in the new budget. That represents an increase of $2.3 million from current levels.

FY2022 Budget Request for Indian Affairs Programs at Department of the Interior

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PDF: Bureau of Indian Affairs

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PDF: Bureau of Indian Education

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PDF: Bureau of Trust Funds Administration

Overall, the budget seeks $17.6 billion for the Department of the Interior, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities in Indian Country. That reflects an increase of $2.5 billion, or 17 percent, from fiscal year 2021, which was the last under the prior administration.

“The Interior Department plays an important role in the President’s plan to reinvest in the American people. Secretary Deb Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, said in a news release.

“From bolstering climate resiliency and increasing renewable energy, to supporting tribal nations and advancing environmental justice, President Biden’s budget will make much-needed investments in communities and projects that will advance our vision for a robust and equitable clean energy future,” said Haaland who is the first Native person to lead Interior.

The fiscal year 2022 budget request is a proposal from the executive branch. It is up to Congress, the legislative branch, to write the appropriations bills that fund the BIA, the BIE and other federal agencies.

Historically, appropriations measures originate in the U.S. House of Representatives every June. The House Committee on Appropriations — more specifically the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies — is responsible for writing the bill that funds the BIA, the BIE and many other key Indian Country programs.

The goal is get the Interior bill approved and signed into law before the start of the fiscal year. However, Congress has been unable to complete that task in more than a decade, so lawmakers have resorted to “omnibus” measures to keep the federal government up and running.

Fiscal year 2022 begins on October 1.

Department of the Interior FY2022 Budget Request Documents

Interior Budget in Brief | Departmental Overview | Bureau of Indian Affairs | Bureau of Indian Education | Bureau of Trust Funds Administration