{"id":148752,"date":"2025-06-04T22:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T03:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=148752"},"modified":"2025-06-04T22:00:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T03:00:20","slug":"these-are-our-lives-indian-health-service-slated-for-budget-hearing-amid-new-setbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/06\/04\/these-are-our-lives-indian-health-service-slated-for-budget-hearing-amid-new-setbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"‘These are our lives’: Indian Health Service slated for budget hearing amid new setbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies(EventID=118327)<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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House Committee on Appropriations: Budget Hearing \u2013 Indian Health Service<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n
‘These are our lives’: Indian Health Service slated for budget hearing amid new setbacks<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, June 4, 2025<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nRepresentatives of the Indian Health Service<\/a> (IHS) are testifying about a budget that tribes say represents a setback for their communities.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLast Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services<\/a> (HHS) released details of its proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 (FY 2026). The \r\n55-page document<\/a> calls for \r\n$7.909 billion to be spent on the IHS<\/a>, the federal agency charged with providing health care to more than 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“The budget prioritizes funding for IHS, providing $7.9 billion to fulfill our promises to tribal nations,” the HHS document<\/a> reads. “In particular, the budget prioritizes funding for direct health services as well as funding for staffing and operational costs of new facilities opening in FY 2026.”\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“This investment will ensure access to care in remote and underserved communities,” the budget-in-brief continues.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut while the IHS is one of the few places where massive cuts aren’t being made by President Donald Trump, Indian Country is not celebrating. According to the National Indian Health Board<\/a>, most of the additional funds being proposed won’t bolster the care promised to tribes as part of the U.S. government’s trust and treaty obligations.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAnd in a major setback, the Trump administration is eliminating advance appropriations from the IHS budget. The policy, which tribes fought hard to secure through years of lobbying and advocacy, puts the agency at risk of government shutdowns and other political whims — including changes in funding priorities.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cThese are not just budget numbers — these are our lives,\u201d NIHB Chairman William \u201cChief Bill\u201d Smith, a leader from the Valdez Native Tribe<\/a> in Alaska, said when explaining the need to fund the IHS<\/a>, especially with advance appropriations.\r\n

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Earlier this month, HHS announced a major reorganization that would reshape Tribal programs without the legally required Tribal Consultation. This process is not optional. HHS must honor its trust responsibility. Learn more and get involved at https:\/\/t.co\/qdeqt0C8fD<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/Pd2gXBgRBv<\/a><\/p>— NIHB (@NIHB1) May 30, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>