Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
On March 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law H.R. 2882, the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024” providing full year funding for the remainder of the federal government for fiscal year (FY) 2024. Since Fiscal Year 2024 began on October 1, 2023, Congress had passed four Continuing Resolutions to keep the federal government open. H.R. 2882 now funds the remaining portions of the federal government that were not included in H.R. 4366 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024) through September 30, 2024, completing the appropriations process for FY 2024.
The bill is colloquially known as a “minibus,” or a smaller version of an omnibus bill, which packages several appropriations bills together to be passed as one piece of legislation rather than multiple, single appropriations bills. Under regular order, Congress prepares and passes 12 appropriations bills to fund the federal government. This minibus combined the remaining 6 of the 12 bills and provides full FY 2024 funding for the Departments and programs covered by those bills. The 6 bills combined in the minibus include:
- Defense
- Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
- Homeland Security
- Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
- Legislative Branch
- State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Below are some key appropriations take aways—
Department of Defense:
- $12 million for “mitigation of environmental impacts, including training and technical support to Tribal Nations, gathering of information, documenting of environmental damage, and developing a system for prioritization of mitigation and cost to complete estimates for mitigation, on Indian lands resulting from Department of Defense activities.” This is a $8 million decrease over the FY 2023 enacted level.
Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
- No additional funding for the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s (FPISC) Environmental Review Improvement Fund. P.L. 117-169 provided $350 million for the FPISC Environmental Review Improvement Fund to remain available through September 30, 2031. In addition, “in lieu of House language on the transfer of funds to Federally recognized [Tribal Nations], the agreement directs the FPISC to begin making funds available to [Tribal Nations] no later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, if it has not done so already, in order to facilitate Tribal engagement in timely, transparent, efficient, and thorough environmental reviews for FAST-41 covered projects.”
Small Business Administration
- $5 million to the SBA for its Native American Outreach Program under Entrepreneurial Development. This is a $1 million increase over the FY 2023 enacted level.
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
- $324 million for the CDFI Fund Program Account with $28 million appropriated specifically for the CDFI’s Native Initiatives Program. This is an increase of $3 million for the CDFI’s Native Initiatives Program over the FY 2023 enacted level.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- $2.5 million for Tribal border roads. This is a decrease of $2.5 million from the FY 2023 enacted level.
Department of Homeland Security
- $14.4 million for Continuing Training Grants, including not less than $2.7 million to be competitively awarded for FEMA-certified rural and Tribal training. This is a decrease of $1.6 million for the overall Continuing Training Grants Program.
- $13.5 million for the Tribal Security Grant Program from FEMA’s Federal Assistance Grants. This is a decrease of $1.5 million from the FY 2023 enacted level.
- During USET/USET SPF’s 2024 Impact Week Meeting two resolutions were adopted by the USET SPF Board of Directors in support of expanded federal funding for Tribal emergency management services—
Department of Health and Human Services:
- $1.2 billion for chronic disease prevention and health promotion under the Public Health Service Act (for which Tribal Nations are eligible). This is a slight $17,000 increase over the FY 2023 enacted level.
- $24 million for the Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country Program. This is the same as the FY 2023 enacted level.
- 4% Tribal set-aside of $1.6 billion for carrying out section 1003 of the 21st
Century Cures Act. This is a one-percent reduction in Tribal set-aside funds over the 5% set-aside in FY 2023.
- $236 million Tribal set-aside in the Child Care and Development Block Grant. This is a $21.2 million increase over FY 2023 enacted levels for this grant.
- $10 million for each state, territory or Tribal Nations operating title IV-E plans for developing, enhancing, or evaluating kinship navigator programs in section 427(a)(1) of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program (under Social Security Act). This is a $10 million decrease for this line item compared to FY 2023 enacted levels.
- 5% Tribal set-aside of funds provided for adult protective services grants under Section 2042 of title XX of the Social Security Act. This set-aside is the same as FY 2023.
- $16 million for the loan repayment program for those in the Indian Health System. This is a slight $400,000 increase over the FY 2023 enacted level.
Department of Education:
- $8 million for Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership. This is the same as the FY 2023 enacted level.
USET SPF provided testimony to Congress and comments to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on formulation of the FY 2024 budget. To view testimony provided by USET/USET SPF President, Chief Kirk Francis to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, “FY 2024 Tribal Public Witness Hearings”, on March 8, 2023, please click here. To view USET SPF’s October 14, 2022 comments to OMB in response to consultation on the President’s FY 2024 Budget Request, please click here.
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
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