WASHINGTON, D.C — On October 1, 2025, the federal government shutdown after Congress failed to pass meaningful appropriations or a continuing resolution. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is deeply concerned about the immediate and disproportionate harm this federal government shutdown will have on Tribal Nations. While Indian Country has always met adversity with resilience and resolve, shutdowns interrupt the United States’ trust and treaty obligations and create cascading impacts on essential services that keep our communities safe, healthy, and strong.
When the federal government shuts down, delays in funding and reimbursements slow the administration of critical programs across Indian Country — public safety and justice services, health care and behavioral health, child welfare and education, housing and infrastructure, emergency management, nutrition programs, and more. While Tribal governments work tirelessly to fill federal gaps, government shutdowns result in Tribes front-loading scarce resources or pulling funding from other Tribal programs to keep essential services running. Many Tribal Nations do so at significant financial risk, straining local budgets, staff capacity, and long-term planning.
“Shutdowns land hardest on our people,” said Larry Wright, Jr., NCAI Executive Director. “Tribal leaders do what they’ve always done: show up for their citizens, keep clinics open, protect public safety, and care for our elders and children. As sovereign governments we should not have to uphold these commitments we made to our citizens at the expense of federal inaction. The United States must uphold its trust and treaty obligations regardless of the circumstance and without interruption.”
NCAI calls on Congress and the Administration to act swiftly to reopen the government and to enact durable solutions that prevent future disruptions to Tribal programs. This includes ensuring stable, on-time funding for Tribal governments; protecting and expanding advance appropriations where appropriate; and pursuing structural fixes that insulate core services from shutdown politics, such as designating key federal staff serving Indian Country as essential employees and exempting them from any reduction-in-force efforts. These steps are not special treatment — they are the minimum necessary to meet legal and moral obligations to Tribal Nations.
Even in this moment, Indian Country will continue to lead with unity, ingenuity, and care for one another. We urge federal partners to meet that leadership with certainty, respect, and action. NCAI is committed to ensuring Tribal Nations have the resources necessary to be informed.
