President Trump issued several Executive Orders affecting federal funding across the government. The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is actively working to ensure these orders do not negatively impact the health and well-being of Tribal Nations. We have engaged extensively with members of Congress, federal agencies, and national Tribal partners to advocate for the protection of Tribal health funding.
In a statement on the Implementation of Executive Orders and the Protection of Tribal Health Programs, NIHB promises to continue “to advocate for the federal government to uphold its trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations, particularly in the area of health.” Read the rest of the statement.
NIHB is also gathering stories, feedback, and information from Tribal leaders and I/T/U healthcare professionals about the impacts you may have experienced as a result of policies such as the federal funding freeze, federal civilian employee hiring freeze, or other recent executive orders/memoranda. If you would like to share the impacts on your Tribe or Tribal program, click here.
Additionally, NIHB and the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) wrote a letter to Congress on the Tribal Impacts of OMB; NIHB, NCUIH, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and the Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium (SGCETC) wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for an exemption to the Indian Health Service (IHS) on the hiring freeze executive order; numerous Tribal organizations and Tribal Nations wrote a joint letter to the current administration to remind them of Tribal sovereignty and upholding the trust and treaty obligations as required by the Constitution; and NIHB has provided a template letter for your use to address your own concerns to HHS.
All this and more can be found here. Additional information will be forthcoming as things progress. Check back here for the latest or sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date!
