Native America Calling: Federal officials take aim at tribal government contracts

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Native America Calling: Federal officials take aim at tribal government contracts

Monday, January 26, 2026

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Federal officials take aim at tribal government contracts

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says he is taking a “sledgehammer” to a federal program that many tribes and tribal businesses rely on.

The Trump cabinet member is referring to the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program that extends contract priorities to disadvantaged business owners. Hegseth uses words like “fraud” and “scheme” to describe what he says is an outdated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative.

The initiative is part of an overall scrutiny of the program by the federal government. Hundreds of Native small businesses have accessed the program over the past 60 years, and some Alaska Native corporations have multi-million dollar contracts.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth: A ‘sledgehammer’ to the 8(a) federal government contracting program

Guests on Native America Calling

Jon Panamaroff (Native Village of Afognak), co-chair of the Native American Contractors Association and chief executive officer of Command Holdings, a tribal business corporation owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

Kevin Allis (Forest County Potawatomi), founder and president of Thunderbird Strategic and former chief executive officer of the National Congress of American Indians

Nick Grube, investigative reporter at Honolulu Civil Beat, a news site based in Hawaii