{"id":421657,"date":"2026-02-17T10:42:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=421657"},"modified":"2026-02-17T21:55:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T03:55:08","slug":"nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-february-17-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/17\/nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-february-17-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (February 17, 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\"NAFOA\"<\/a> \r\n
We’re so proud of VaRene Martin (Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Mvskoke (Creek) Nation), 1st Vice President and Director of Tribal & Corporate Relations, for being honored at the 30th Annual National Indian Women’s Supporting Each Other Honoring Luncheon. This recognition is a beautiful testament to the heart and dedication she brings to our community every day. From left: Tracy Stanhoff (Former Chairwoman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi), Denise Harvey (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Tribal Council), VaRene Martin, Deborah Parker (Tulalip Tribal Council), Chairman Rodney Butler (Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation). Photo courtesy NAFOA<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
5 Things You Need to Know This Week<\/div>\r\n
NAFOA\u2019s 1st VP Honored at 30th Annual National Indian Women\u2019s Supporting Each Other Honoring Luncheon<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, February 17, 2026<\/div>\r\n
Source: NAFOA<\/div>\r\n
nafoa.org<\/a><\/div>\r\n

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1. CONFERENCE<\/EM><\/div>\r\n
Don\u2019t Miss Your Shot: #NAFOA2026 Closing Reception<\/div>\r\nWrap up #NAFOA2026 with a closing reception at Birdeez, a one-of-a-kind indoor experience that blends traditional games with innovative technology.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nExperience immersive group games like digital darts, interactive trivia, and tech-infused mini golf. With plenty of space to mingle, Birdeez is the perfect spot to wind down and celebrate the end of a productive and fun-filled conference week.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nRegister for the Conference<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\nVisit the Conference Site<\/a>\r\n\r\n

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2. POLICY<\/EM><\/div>\r\n
Tribal Economic Development: Indian Country\u2019s Policy Priorities for the Federal Government<\/div>\r\nNAFOA and 17 endorsing Native organization partners jointly released a comprehensive brief outlining 34 critical policy actions the Administration and its agencies can take in 2026 to enhance and grow the federal government\u2019s support of Tribal Nations as they build and sustain vibrant economies that benefit not just Native people, but all Americans.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe brief, titled \u201cTribal Economic Development: Indian Country\u2019s Policy Priorities for the Federal Government,\u201d presents a progress report on the first year of the Administration\u2019s second term with respect to Indian Country economic development and outlines the key steps the Administration can take to grow this progress in 2026. It serves as a comprehensive update to the policy brief the endorsing Native organizations provided to the Trump Administration Transition Team in late 2024.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nImportantly, the brief details how Indian Country\u2019s broad economic priorities align in key ways with those of the Administration, such as: modernizing the federal tax code; reducing federal red tape through deregulation; increasing federal and other investments in rural economic development; and strengthening local control to allow communities \u2013 including Native ones \u2013 to make decisions that fit their distinct needs and bolster economic sovereignty.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSource: National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development\r\nRead the Full Brief<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

3. FOR TRIBAL LEADERS<\/EM><\/div>\r\n
House Interior Appropriations Announces American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Hearings<\/div>\r\nThe House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies has announced its FY 2027 American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Hearings, scheduled for March 17 and 18. These annual hearings provide an opportunity for Tribal leaders and organizations to present appropriations priorities and policy issues related to federal funding for Tribes. This year, each Tribe or Tribal organization may be represented by only one witness.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nTo testify in person, Tribal leaders must submit a request by Monday, February 23, 2026.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe deadline for written testimony is Friday, April 24, 2026.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSource: House Committee on Appropriations\r\nLearn More<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

4. MUST READ<\/EM><\/div>\r\n
\u2018One Big Beautiful Bill\u2019 Could Cost Tribes $1.5B Climate Funding, Creates Food Assistance and Health Care Barriers<\/div>\r\nTribes are at risk of losing $1.5 billion in climate-project funding previously promised to them through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 as a result of cuts made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a new study has revealed.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nA months-long research project from the Brookings Institution released Feb. 5 identified the potential loss of $1.5 billion in climate funding, warning this loss could risk compromising tribal energy infrastructure and risks an increase of resource-extraction reliance. The Brookings Institution is an independent, nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C. \r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe One Big Beautiful Act predominately targeted changes made in the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act previously authorized $433 billion in new spending for clean energy, community resilience, housing, infrastructure and economic development projects.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSource: ICT\r\nContinue Reading<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

5. JOB<\/EM><\/div>\r\n
Deputy Comptroller- Special Projects, Seneca Nation of Indians<\/div>\r\nAssists Comptroller with special projects, managing the Fiscal operations of the Seneca Nation of Indians governmental entity, financial reporting and accounting. Full job description is available. Qualifications include: Bachelor\u2019s degree in Accounting, at least 10 years experience in Accounting and preference of governmental fund accounting with a CPA license required. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and accounting software.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLearn More & Apply at nafoa.org\/jobs<\/a>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NAFOA is proud of 1st Vice President VaRene Martin for being recognized for her leadership.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":421656,"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":[10,1],"tags":[5366,214,71,121,284,6909,48,129,1319,243,138,36,868,521,34,7139,540],"class_list":["post-421657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-national","tag-119th","tag-appropriations","tag-economic-development","tag-employment","tag-energy","tag-fy2027","tag-house","tag-ict","tag-infrastructure","tag-media","tag-meetings","tag-nafoa","tag-ncaied","tag-nevada","tag-new-york","tag-obbba","tag-seneca","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/18\/NAFOA.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-1LGV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421657","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=421657"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":421664,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421657\/revisions\/421664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}