Indianz.Com > News > Native America Calling: Tribes come to grips with $1.5 billion federal funding retraction
native america calling
Native America Calling
Listen to Native America Calling every weekday at 1pm Eastern.
Alternate Links: Native Voice One | NAC
Native America Calling: Tribes come to grips with $1.5 billion federal funding retraction
Monday, February 16, 2026
nativeamericacalling.com   nativeamericacalling   nativeamericacalling

Tribes come to grips with $1.5 billion federal funding retraction
With help from Congress, the Donald Trump administration stripped some $1.5 billion in federal funds previously promised to tribes.

A lot of the funding was in the form of contracts for clean energy manufacturing and development — new money doled out three years earlier as part of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. And a new analysis by the Brookings Institution identifies three funding and policy changes, including reductions in SNAP and Medicaid, that negatively affect Native Americans.

The research firm says the actions continue a pattern of disinvestment and falls short of the federal government’s binding responsibility to Indian Country.

Guests on Native America Calling
Robert Maxim (Mashpee Wampanoag), fellow at the Brookings Institution, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C.

Chéri Smith (Mi’kmaq descendant), president and CEO of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C.

Timothy Nuvangyaoma (Hopi), vice president of tribal engagement for the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy and former chairman of the Hopi Tribe in Arizona

Dr. Kyle Whyte (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan

Eagle Staff and Flags
Eagle staff and flags on display at the National Congress of American Indians executive council winter session in Washington, D.C., from February 9-11, 2026. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

All Episodes on Spotify | More Options
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
‘Let’s go’: Peggy Flanagan wins Democratic primary for U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota
Native America Calling: Native Playlist with Thomas Michael Swensen and Debora Iyall
Native America Calling: Tribes face record-setting wildfire destruction
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (August 10, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in tomorrow’s leaders
Native America Calling: August primary elections offer insights on Native candidates’ prospects
Native America Calling: Testing the limits of religious freedom in Indian Country
Native America Calling: When is it OK to let a Native language die?
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (August 3, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation keeps fiscal promises
Native America Calling: New outbreak of food-borne illness shakes public confidence in food supply
AUDIO: Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S.3573, S.3617, S.4368, S.4417 & S.4890
VIDEO: Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S.3573, S.3617, S.4368, S.4417 & S.4890
Native America Calling: A gritty tribal cop thriller, ‘Little House on the Prairie’ reboot and remembering Native TV star
Native America Calling: The healing power of food and a new presidential library restaurant
More Headlines