Tribal governments fend off the worst of the impacts of the shutdown - High Country News

"And they were able to prevent the shutdown's worst impacts on Indigenous communities, largely due to tribal self-determination policies that have created a $47 billion gaming industry and an accompanying reserve of economic and political capital. "We may disagree on tactics, we can find common ground on the safety of health, and economic opportunity," said Mark Macarro, president of National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), before the shutdown. "And those aren't partisan goals; those are goals that unite us as people. We saw commitment not only from long-standing champions, but from new ones.""

""IHS will continue to operate business-as-usual during a lapse of appropriations," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press secretary Emily G. Hilliard said, adding that "100% of IHS staff will report for work, and health-care services across Indian Country will not be impacted." Across Health and Human Services, 41% of employees were furloughed, but several tribal IHS facilities in the West have reported normal operations. According to the National Indian Health Board, the 14,801 IHS employees will be paid using money approved and distributed by Congress earlier in the year through advanced appropriations as well as other sources."

Tribal nations campaigned in the weeks leading up to the shutdown to ensure that the federal government continued to fulfill treaty obligations. Tribal self-determination policies, and a $47 billion gaming industry, provided economic and political capital that helped prevent the shutdown's worst impacts on Indigenous communities. Indian Health Service funding and operations remained at 100%, with all IHS staff reporting for work and health-care services unaffected, supported by advanced appropriations and other sources. Across Health and Human Services, 41% of employees were furloughed. The Bureau of Indian Affairs furloughed 1,154 of 3,126 employees and experienced significant operational disruptions.

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