Republican members of the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee expressed support for the Interior Department’s tribal programs Tuesday, but indicated that a proposed budget increase is unlikely to get their approval.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland appeared before the panel to make the case for the administration’s March 9 request for $18.8 billion in fiscal 2024 discretionary funding, a 9.3 percent increase from the fiscal 2023 enacted levels. Haaland highlighted the $4.7 billion that would go to the Interior Department’s tribal programs, an increase of $690 million.
Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said that tribal needs, including land management, law enforcement and health care, are nonpartisan priorities for the committee. However, Republicans have suggested cuts to nondefense spending and Simpson suggested that the Interior Department would not be immune.
