{"id":31430,"date":"2023-08-07T16:50:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T20:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=31430"},"modified":"2023-08-07T16:50:03","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T20:50:03","slug":"indian-country-sees-progress-on-native-american-housing-assistance-and-self-determination-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/08\/07\/indian-country-sees-progress-on-native-american-housing-assistance-and-self-determination-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Country sees progress on Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yis1OAWB3vI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/yis1OAWB3vI>Senate takes action on Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA)<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Indian Country sees progress on Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, August 7, 2023<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIndian Country is finally seeing progress on a long-overdue update to the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Native_American_Housing_Assistance_and_Self-Determination_Act_of_1996\">Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act<\/a> (NAHASDA) although victory is not yet at hand.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOn July 27, the <a href=https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/>U.S. Senate<\/a> passed <a href=https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/senate-bill\/2226>S.2226<\/a>, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024,  by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/LIS\/roll_call_votes\/vote1181\/vote_118_1_00212.htm\">bipartisan vote of 86 to 11<\/a>. The measure, which runs thousands of pages, represents a significant win for tribal nations, as  it contains an amendment to reauthorize NAHASDA, the <a href=https:\/\/naihc.net\/advocacy\/>cornerstone of Indian housing law and policy<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nEver since NAHASDA expired a decade ago, tribes and their advocates have been trying to convince the U.S. Congress to update the law. Funding for Indian housing projects, for example, has remained stagnant since 2013 amid rising costs and inflation.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBut the inclusion of NAHASDA in S.2226 means that tribes are closer than ever to success. The bill, <a href=https:\/\/www.armed-services.senate.gov\/press-releases\/reed-and-wicker-file-fiscal-year-2024-national-defense-authorization-act>commonly known as the NDAA<\/a>, is considered <a href=https:\/\/www.armed-services.senate.gov\/press-releases\/reed-wicker-applaud-senate-passage-of-the-national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2024>must-pass in Congress<\/a>.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n \u201cThe success of NAHASDA and tribal housing programs stems from NAHASDA\u2019s self-determination roots which allow tribes to develop their own Indian housing plan to fit the housing needs and priorities of their communities, and it also provides the flexibility tribes need to carry out their programs,&#8221;  <a href=\"https:\/\/naihc.net\/\">National American Indian Housing Council<\/a> (NAIHC) Chairman Thomas Lozano said after passage of the NDAA on July 27.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n \u201cTribes know best how to take care of their own citizens,\u201d said Lozano, who also serves as treasurer of  the Enterprise Rancheria, headquartered in California.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QJayQYYCcIc?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">National American Indian Housing Council &#8211; <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/QJayQYYCcIc>Legislative Committee Meeting &#8211; April 6, 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nTribes and their advocates credited the bipartisan leadership of the <a href=https:\/\/indian.senate.gov\/>Senate Committee on Indian Affairs<\/a> for adding NAHASDA to the NDAA. The Democratic chair and Republican vice chair developed the amendment that made it into S.2226.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cNAHASDA is a critical housing law for American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives,\u201d said <a href=https:\/\/www.schatz.senate.gov\/>Sen. Brian Schatz<\/a> (D-Hawaii), the chair of the committee. \u201cThis amendment is an important win for Native communities to address their urgent housing needs.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased the Senate has overwhelmingly agreed to add our amendment to reauthorize and reform the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act to this year\u2019s NDAA,&#8221; added <a href=\"https:\/\/www.murkowski.senate.gov\/\">Sen. Lisa Murkowski<\/a> (R-Alaska), the vice chair of the legislative panel with jurisdiction over Indian issues.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut in the <a href=https:\/\/www.indian.senate.gov\/news\/press-release\/schatz-murkowski-amendment-advance-native-american-housing-programs-adopted>committee&#8217;s press release<\/a>, Murkowski pointed out the major hurdle that tribes still must clear before NAHASDA is finally reauthorized. The <a href=https:\/\/www.house.gov\/>U.S. House of Representatives<\/a>, which is controlled by Republicans, <a href=https:\/\/cole.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/cole-applauds-passage-fy2024-ndaa-house>already passed its own version of the NDAA<\/a> &#8212; and it did not include the Indian housing bill.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n \u201cNAHASDA\u2019s overwhelmingly bipartisan passage in the Senate is a victory for Indian Country, and now the focus must turn to the House to fully realize this victory so that we can improve the lives of those living in our communities,\u201d   Larry Wright Jr., a citizen of the Ponca Tribe who serves as executive director of the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/>National Congress of American Indians<\/a> (NCAI), said in a <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/news\/articles\/2023\/07\/28\/naihc-and-ncai-celebrate-the-inclusion-of-nahasda-in-2023-national-defense-authorization-act>news release<\/a>.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nNAHASDA <a href=https:\/\/www.indian.senate.gov\/news\/press-release\/first-indian-affairs-hearing-113th-congress-focuses-need-reauthorize-tribal>expired during the 113th Congress in September 2013<\/a>, when the political landscape looked a lot similar to what Indian Country is seeing today. A Democrat, Barack Obama, was in the Oval Office. Democrats controlled the Senate while Republicans were in charge of the House.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nDespite bipartisan support for NAHASDA, however, <a href=https:\/\/nlihc.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Sec5.11_Native-American-Housing_2015.pdf>Congress has consistently failed to reauthorize<\/a> the bill over the last decade. In late 2014,  for example,  for example, the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2014\/12\/03\/house-passes-measure-to-reauth.asp>House passed a Republican-sponsored measure<\/a> while a companion bill languished in the Senate. The pattern repeated during the 114th Congress, the <a href=https:\/\/naihc.net\/legislation\/>NAIHC noted at the time<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSome of the impasse can be traced to a <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2015\/03\/24\/naihc-welcomes-house-passage-o.asp>disagreement among tribes<\/a> about  Indian Housing Block Grant funds that are carried over from year to year. But lawmakers themselves &#8212; notably Democrats &#8212; have been in conflict about using NAHASDA to address a long-standing controversy involving the <a href=https:\/\/freedmen5tribes.com\/home>Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes<\/a>, who are the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans who were promised citizenship in  <a href=https:\/\/www.fivecivilizedtribes.org>five Indian nations in present-day Oklahoma<\/a> after the end of the Civil War.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe Congressional Black Caucus, a group of African American lawmakers in the House, has sought to deny Indian housing funds to those five Indian nations until <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/07\/28\/nahasda-reauthorization-addressing-historic-disinvestment-and-the-ongoing-plight-of-the-freedmen-in-native-american-communities\/>Freedmen descendants are recognized<\/a> as citizens. An existing provision in federal law &#8212; one that has never been taken off the books &#8212; applies to the <a href=https:\/\/www.cherokee.org\/>Cherokee Nation<\/a>, linking receipt of NAHASDA money to the promise made by treaty in 1866. The statute was <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2008\/09\/26\/the_native_american_housing_an.asp>adopted by Congress in 2008<\/a>, amid litigation in tribal and federal courts that eventually led to the Cherokee Freedmen being recognized as Cherokee citizens.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"450\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/playlists\/1474708387&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Indianz.Com Audio: <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/sets\/select-provisions-of-the-1866-reconstruction-treaties-between-the-united-states-and-oklahoma-tribes\" title=\"Select Provisions of the 1866 Reconstruction Treaties between the United States and Oklahoma Tribes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Senate Committee on Indian Affairs &#8211; Select Provisions of the 1866 Reconstruction Treaties between the United States and Oklahoma Tribes &#8211; July 25, 2022<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nLawmakers like <a href=https:\/\/waters.house.gov\/>Rep. Maxine Waters<\/a> (D-California), a key Democratic leader who has used her position in the House to <a href=https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/maxine-waters-democrat?in=indianz\/sets\/select-provisions-of-the-1866-reconstruction-treaties-between-the-united-states-and-oklahoma-tribes>advocate for the Freedmen<\/a>, have called on the U.S. government to extend the Indian housing provision to the <a href=https:\/\/www.chickasaw.net>Chickasaw Nation<\/a>, the <a href=https:\/\/www.choctawnation.com\/>Choctaw Nation<\/a>, the <a href=https:\/\/www.muscogeenation.com\/>Muscogee (Creek) Nation<\/a> and the <a href=https:\/\/www.sno-nsn.org\/>Seminole Nation<\/a>. <a href=https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/marilyn-vann-descendants-of-1?in=indianz\/sets\/select-provisions-of-the-1866-reconstruction-treaties-between-the-united-states-and-oklahoma-tribes>Marilyn Vann<\/a>, the leader of the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association, agrees that such an approach is necessary to uphold the treaty promises.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Can the tribes change without Congressional and federal intervention? History says no,&#8221; Vann, who was finally recognized as a Cherokee citizen following her decades-long fight, told the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs a <a href=https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/sets\/select-provisions-of-the-1866-reconstruction-treaties-between-the-united-states-and-oklahoma-tribes>little over a year ago<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Cherokee Nation only came into compliance in 2017 after federal court decisions in <em>Cherokee Nation v. Nash<\/em> and <em>Vann<\/em>, and passage of Freedman protective language in the 2008  NAHASDA reauthorization act&#8221; Vann testified on <a href=https:\/\/www.indian.senate.gov\/hearing\/oversight-hearing-select-provisions-1866-reconstruction-treaties-between-united-states-and>July 27, 2022<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/08\/07\/indian-country-sees-progress-on-native-american-housing-assistance-and-self-determination-act\/cherokeenationhousing-3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-31562\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" data-attachment-id=\"31562\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/08\/07\/indian-country-sees-progress-on-native-american-housing-assistance-and-self-determination-act\/cherokeenationhousing-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/07\/CherokeeNationHousing.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1000\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6m2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., CNB leaders, and employees from the Housing Authority came together on Thursday for a housing addition ground breaking.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1676533030&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cherokee Nation Housing\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Cherokee Nation Housing&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;In February 2023, the Cherokee Nation broke ground on a 23-acre housing addition in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, named the Cherokee \u13a6\u13b5\u13e6\u13d5 (Galitsode) Subdivision. When complete, the project will be home to dozens of Cherokee Nation families. Photo: &lt;a href=https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/government-stories\/1292-cherokee-nation-breaks-ground-on-new-housing-neighborhood-for-cherokee-families&gt;Anadisgoi \/ Cherokee Nation&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/07\/CherokeeNationHousing-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/07\/CherokeeNationHousing.jpg\" alt=\"Cherokee Nation Housing\"   class=\"size-full wp-image-31562\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> In February 2023, the Cherokee Nation broke ground on a 23-acre housing addition in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, named the Cherokee \u13a6\u13b5\u13e6\u13d5 (Galitsode) Subdivision. When complete, the project will be home to dozens of Cherokee Nation families. Photo: <a href=https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/government-stories\/1292-cherokee-nation-breaks-ground-on-new-housing-neighborhood-for-cherokee-families>Anadisgoi \/ Cherokee Nation<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHowever, the NAHASDA reauthorization that the leaders of the Senate committee included in S.2226 does not include the Freedmen protective language that some Democrats in the  House have called for. <a href=https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/2670>H.R.2670<\/a>,, the House version of the NDAA that passed on July 14,  does not include such provisions either. The GOP now controls the House &#8212; none of its members have spoken publicly in support of Freedmen language in any other legislative vehicle.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to a <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/07\/SCIASummaryNAHASDA1078NDAA.pdf>summary released by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs<\/a>, S.2226 reauthorizes NAHASDA for seven years. The <a href=https:\/\/nafoa.org\/elementor-11599\/>bill encourages greater self-determination<\/a> over tribal housing, streamlines environmental reviews, increases accountability of federal funds and incentivizes private partnerships\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cNAHASDA has been a successful program since its inception,\u201d said <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/04\/20\/national-american-indian-housing-council-welcomes-new-executive-director\/>NAIHC executive director Chelsea Fish<\/a>. \u201cTribes were producing new housing units at rates similar to or higher than HUD prior to NAHASDA\u2019s enactment.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cBy creating their own Indian Housing Plan, tribes can prioritize senior assisted housing, rental assistance or homeownership,&#8221; <a href=https:\/\/myemail.constantcontact.com\/Press-Release--NAHASDA-Passes-Senate.html?soid=1102839656375&#038;aid=fKJZSqDZn5k>said Fish<\/a>, a citizen of the Seminole Nation. &#8220;Reauthorization of NAHASDA means increased resources and stronger programming.\u201d\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Indian Country is finally seeing progress on a long-overdue update to the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) although victory is not yet at hand.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,13,1,14],"tags":[3586,925,3942,77,427,428,94,1213,4020,48,1601,211,1259,564,1258,1719,7,3653,47,85,3993,213,254,91,4007,154,106,569],"class_list":["post-31430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-118th","tag-brian-schatz","tag-chelsea-fish","tag-cherokee","tag-chickasaw","tag-choctaw","tag-democrats","tag-freedmen","tag-h-r-2670","tag-house","tag-larry-wright","tag-lisa-murkowski","tag-marilyn-vann","tag-muscogee","tag-nahasda","tag-naihc","tag-ncai","tag-ndaa","tag-race","tag-republicans","tag-s-2226","tag-scia","tag-seminole","tag-senate","tag-thomas-lozano","tag-treaties","tag-tribal-courts","tag-wars","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/07\/CherokeeNationHousing.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-8aW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}