Powers Principal Brian Gunn was quoted in a Law360 article discussing how the Trump administration’s proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Interior could affect Native Americans.
The article titled “Takeaways for Tribes in Reduced DOI Budget Proposal” examines how the 2018 budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Interior would trim more than $300 million from federal programs serving Native Americans, as well as education, social services and other tribal items, and how that could impact Indian Country.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration proposed a $2.5 million budget for Indian Affairs programs. In the article, Brian says the administration’s budget request appears “to prioritize physical infrastructure while maintaining or proposing cuts to other BIA programs.”
The article also discusses how the Trump administration has called for certain programs to be eliminated entirely. The administration’s proposal to eliminate a BIA housing program the George W. Bush administration also opposed was expected, as was the elimination of $9.9 million in Tribal Climate Resilience Awards funding, Brian said in the article.
Some proposed budget cuts, however, were not in line with President Trump’s previous statements. In the article, Brian discusses how funding for the Public Safety and Justice Account, which provides funds for BIA and tribal law enforcement as well as tribal courts, was cut by $27 million despite the president’s push for stronger law enforcement.
Brian Gunn is a principal in the Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville Indian Tribal Governments group and a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Brian specializes in matters related to the federal budget and appropriations, natural resources, federal lands and federal land transfers, taxation, energy development, and Indian health.
To read the full article, click here. For more information about how the Trump administration’s proposed budget could affect Native Americans and tribes, contact Powers Principal Brian Gunn at Brian.Gunn@powerslaw.com or 202-872-6747.