Earlier this week, on Tuesday, February 3rd, NAFOA Board President Chairman Rodney Butler (Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation) testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian & Insular Affairs Oversight Hearing on “Making Federal Economic Development Programs Work in Indian Country.” This hearing focused on the barriers Tribes face when seeking to access federal economic development programs and on how to overcome them.
Subcommittee’s Official “Key Messages” on the Hearing:
- Federal Indian policy is most effective when it respects Tribal sovereignty and removes unnecessary federal barriers to Tribal decision-making.
- Federal economic development programs affecting Indian Country are administered across multiple agencies with limited coordination, requiring Tribes to navigate duplicative processes and inconsistent standards.
- As a result, Tribes’ most significant barriers are often procedural and regulatory, including complicated rules, lengthy approval timelines, and a disjointed system.
- The central challenge is not a lack of federal economic development programs, but rather a fragmented federal system that is difficult for Tribes to navigate and use effectively.
NAFOA Recommendations for Making Federal Economic Development Programs Work
President Butler outlined NAFOA’s recommendations to strengthen Tribal access to federal economic programs, which were incorporated in the U.S Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) December 2024 report, Tribal Issues: Barriers to Access Federal Assistance:
- Design with Tribes in Mind: Federal programs should be designed from the outset with meaningful Tribal consultation and with Tribal needs, governance structures, and capacity in mind—rather than adding Tribes as an afterthought to programs designed for other entities
- Reduce Administrative Burdens: Departments and agencies should minimize administrative burdens on Tribes, especially smaller Tribal nations or those with limited staff capacity.
- Provide Comprehensive Training: Federal agencies must increase staff training on government-to-government consultation practices, treaty rights, trust responsibilities, and effective engagement with Tribal governments.
- Improve Communication and Timeline Management: Agencies should establish and communicate reasonable timelines and deadlines well in advance of application periods, provide timely feedback to Tribal applicants to support their decision-making and planning processes, and conduct proactive outreach through Tribal news outlets, national Tribal organizations, and direct government-to-government communication channels.
- Provide Technical Assistance and Capacity Building: Where authorized, agencies should provide financial and technical assistance to help Tribes build internal capacity to apply for federal programs AND meet necessary requirements for reporting and implementation
- Create Clear Information Resources: Each federal office that administers Tribal programs should create clearly defined resource hubs with comprehensive FAQs, program guides, and contact information.
- Collect and Utilize Tribal-Specific Data: Departments and agencies that administer Tribal programs must improve their data collection and reporting practices to better reflect Tribal participation and outcomes.
Tribal Leader Testimonies Call for Improved Access
In his testimony, President Butler also highlighted the importance of Tribal access and the effectiveness of federal economic development programs:
“Federal programs and tax policy represent critical tools for addressing historic economic disparities in Indian Country. But these tools are only effective when Tribes can access them without navigating decades of regulatory neglect… when Tribes have both access to federal support and a regulatory environment designed with Tribal sovereignty in mind, we build not just sustainable economies—we build thriving, self-determined communities that benefit entire regions.”
Indian & Insular Affairs Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Hurd (R-CO) also commented on the current status of Tribal access to federal economic development programs and the need to address these challenges:
“Congress has created plenty of economic development tools for Tribal Nations. The problem isn’t a lack of programs. It’s a fragmented federal system that’s hard to navigate. When Tribes face duplicative rules, offices, and timelines, the real barrier isn’t funding; it’s bureaucracy. Today’s hearing is about identifying those obstacles, respecting Tribal sovereignty, and making federal programs actually work in Indian Country.”
In addition to President Butler, the Subcommittee also heard testimony from:
- Chairwoman Hope Silvas of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes,
- Co-Chair Haven Harris of the Native American Contractors Association Board of Directors, and
- Chairman Derrick Watchman with the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.
NAFOA is looking forward to additional hearings with the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs to continue the assessment of federal economic development programs and how they can be improved so Tribes can better access and utilize these programs to their full potential.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact our Director of Policy, Nicholas Lovesee, at nicholas@nafoa.org, or our Policy Specialist, Marisa Joseph, at marisa@nafoa.org
