Resources to Assist Tribal Nations During a Government Shutdown
USET/USET SPF is quickly compiling information that will provide assistance and resources to Tribal Nations during a government shutdown. The page will be updated as more information becomes available.
Table of Contents:
What is a government shutdown?
Many federal government agencies and programs rely on annual funding appropriations passed by Congress. Every year, Congress must pass and the President must sign budget legislation for the next fiscal year, consisting of 12 appropriations bills, one for each Appropriations subcommittee. Congress has not yet enacted any of the 12 bills for FY 2024 that make up the discretionary spending budget. In a “shutdown,” federal agencies must discontinue all non-essential discretionary functions until new funding legislation is passed and signed into law. Essential services continue to function, as do mandatory spending programs. - Excerpt from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget | Government Shutdowns Q&A: Everything You Should Know (September 5, 2023)
Indian Health Service operations will continue in the event of a government shutdown thanks to the advance appropriation for the agency enacted as a part of FY23 appropriations.
Resources:
- USET | Federal Budget Process Animated Video | USET explains the Federal Budget Process
- DOI | BIA | Indian Affairs Contingency Planning PowerPoint Presentation (September 29, 2023)
- White House | OMB | Information and Guidance | Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations ( September 27, 2023)
- White House | OMB | Government Reopening Check List – Items for Consideration (January 2019)
- White House | OMB | Information and Guidance |A list of contingency plans for agencies across the Federal Government (The page is updated as more plans are posted.)
- DOI | Operations in the Absence of Appropriations | Bureau/Office Contingency Plans
- DOI | Office of the Secretary | Contingency Plan for a Potential Lapse in Appropriations (September 2023)
- DOI | Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs | Contingency Plan for a Potential Lapse in Appropriations (September 2023)
- DOI| BIA | Contingency Plan for a Potential Lapse in Appropriations (September 2023)
- DOI | BIE | Contingency Plan for a Potential Lapse in Appropriations (September 2023)
- DOI | Bureau of Trust Funds Administration | Contingency Plan for a Potential Lapse in Appropriations (September 2023)
- Department of Treasury | Lapse of Appropriations Plan (September 2023)
- HUD | Contingency Plan for Possible Lapse in Appropriations (August 2023)
- Small Business Administration | Plan for Operating in the Event of a Lapse in Appropriations (October 2021)
- Congressional Research Service | Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects (Oct 2018)
Articles:
- AP News | Biden signs a bill averting a government shutdown for now, with Israel and Ukraine aid still stalled (November 17, 2023)
- White House | President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Bipartisan Bill to Keep the Government Open (September 30, 2023)
- POLITICO | House GOP stunner: Spending patch passes with mostly Dem votes (September 30, 2023)
- Native American Agriculture Fund | Federal Government Shutdown Threatens Tribal Communities and Agricultural Producers (September 29, 2023)
- DOI National Park Service News Release | FACT SHEET: Government Shutdown Will Close America's National Parks, Impede Visitor Access (September 29, 2023)
- NPR Marketplace | Federal government shutdowns cause economic distress for tribes (September 28, 2023)
- The Washington Post | U.S. government starts notifying federal employees a shutdown may be imminent (September 28, 2023)
- Good Morning America | How a government shutdown could hamper travel plans, cause flight delays and more (September 28, 2023)
- Edward Jones | Government Shutdowns and the Markets - Three Things to Know (September 27, 2023)
- Bloomberg | Federal Government Administers Many Tribal Nation Services: So What Now? (January 15, 2019)
Key Points of Contact:
Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs
- Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs: Bryan Newland - shutdown@bia.gov
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management: Jason Freihage - jason.freihage@bia.gov
- Director, Office of Self Governance: Sharee Freeman - sharee.freeman@bia.gov
- Director, Office of Indian Economic Development: Onna LeBeau - onna.lebeau@bia.gov
- Director, Office of Indian Gaming: Paula Hart - Paula.Hart@bia.gov
- Director, Office of Public Affairs: Joshua Barnett - as-ia_opa@bia.gov
Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Director – Darryl LaCounte
- Deputy Bureau Director for Field Operations: Bart Stevens - bartholomew.stevens@bia.gov
- Deputy Bureau Director for Office of Justice Services: Glen Melville - richard.melville@bia.gov
- Deputy Bureau Director for Indian Services: Genevieve Giaccardo - genevieve.giaccardo@bia.gov
- Deputy Bureau Director for Trust Services: Johnna Blackhair - johnna.blackhair@bia.gov
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Regional Directors
- Alaska: Michelle Watchman (Acting) - michelle.watchman@bia.gov
- Eastern Region: Kimberly Bouchard - kimberly.bouchard@bia.gov
- Eastern Oklahoma: Eddie Streater - eddie.streater@bia.gov
- Great Plains: Tim LaPointe - timothy.lapointe@bia.gov
- Midwest: Tammie Poitra - tammie.poitra@bia.gov
- Navajo: Greg Mehojah - gregory.mehojah@bia.gov
- Northwest: Bryan Mercier - bryan.mercier@bia.gov
- Pacific: Amy Dutschke - amy.dutschke@bia.gov
- Rocky Mountain: Susan Messerly - susan.messerly@bia.gov
- Southern Plains: Gabe Morgan (Acting) - robert.morgan@bia.gov
- Southwest: Patricia Mattingly - patricia.mattingly@bia.gov
- Western: Jessie Durham - jessie.durham@bia.gov
Bureau of Indian Education
- Director: Tony Dearman
- Deputy Director for Operations: Sharon Pinto - sharon.pinto@bie.edu
- Director of Bureau Operated Schools: Hankie Ortiz - hankie.ortiz@bie.edu
- Director of Schools serving Navajo Nation: Emily Arviso - emily.arviso@bie.edu
- Director of Tribally Controlled Schools: Cherie Poitra - cherie.poitra@bie.edu
Bureau of Trust Funds Administration
- Director: Jerry Gidner - Jerold_Gidner@btfa.gov
- Principal Deputy Director for Trust Operations: Doug Lords - Douglas_Lords@btfa.gov
- Regional Trust Director, Field Operations: Tom Reynolds - Thomas_Reynolds@btfa.gov
- Deputy Bureau Director – Trust Operations, Accounting: Rob Craff - Robert_Craff@btfa.gov
- Associate Chief Information Officer: John Montel - John_Montel@btfa.gov
Calls and Webinars:
- September 29 at 4:00 pm Eastern | BIA Tribal Leader Call on Potential October 2023 Lapse in Appropriations | Register on Zoom
- September 29 at 3:30 pm Eastern | White House Tribal Briefing on Potential Government Shutdown | Register on Zoom
- September 28 at 2:30 pm Eastern |White House Call: How a Government Shutdown Could Impact your Community | Register on Zoom