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Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that they will hold a Tribal consultation, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seeking input and recommendations from Tribal Nations on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 President’s Budget Request proposal to shift funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS) from discretionary to mandatory funding beginning in FY 2025.
OMB and HHS are seeking input from Tribal Nations on the proposed mandatory funding formula, which would grow IHS funding automatically over ten years to account for inflation, operational needs, and existing backlogs in both healthcare services and facilities construction. The President’s proposed plan would increase IHS funding significantly over the next decade, increasing the funding amount to roughly $44 billion annually by FY 2033. More information on the proposal can be found in the Appendix of the Dear Tribal Leader Letter published by OMB. USET SPF has consistently advocated for full and mandatory funding for the IHS as part of the federal government's trust and treaty responsibilities and obligations to Tribal Nations, including in our comments to HHS on mandatory funding approaches for the IHS in 2021 and in our testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in March 2023.
The consultation will be held virtually on June 2, 2023 from 2:00 – 5:00 pm ET. Interested participants are encouraged to register as soon as possible at this link. Written comments on the mandatory funding proposal will be accepted until June 30, 2023 via email at consultation@omb.eop.gov.
For more information, please contact Ashton Martin, USET SPF Health Policy Analyst, at amartin@usetinc.org.
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