Rep. Dusty Johnson
The U.S. House of Representatives on July 24 approved an appropriations package that includes several tribal community priorities brought forth by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD).
“There is a public safety crisis on our Indian reservations,” Rep. Johnson said. “We also have major needs in tribal health care and education. Our efforts have secured major funding increases for these areas, including a 34 percent increase in tribal public safety funding.”
The House voted 210-205 to pass the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025, H.R. 8998, which would provide fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations for the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and several related agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).
H.R. 8998 includes several of the congressman’s funding priorities for tribal law enforcement, education, and health care.
For instance, the bill would provide $2.81 billion for the BIA, which would be a 14.5 percent increase from the FY 2024 enacted level. This would include $746 million for public safety and justice programs; $414 million for criminal investigations and police service; and $55 million for tribal courts, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Johnson’s staff.
Additionally, H.R. 8998 would provide $1.47 billion for the BIE, a 7.5 percent increase from the FY 2024 enacted level, and would provide $8.56 billion for the Indian Health Service, a 23 percent increase from the FY 2024 enacted level, the summary says.
“We managed to secure these substantive increases while decreasing overall spending because we implemented significant cuts elsewhere,” said Rep. Johnson. “This is a big win for Indian country and for fiscal responsibility.”
H.R. 8998 now heads to the U.S. Senate for reconciliation with that chamber’s version of the bill.