I think that we must address BIA Tribal Community Resilience grants. We continue to hear that those funds remain frozen, and your budget again proposes to eliminate this critical program which Tribal communities rely on to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other environmental threats.
Work to address BIA Tribal Community Resilience grants and preserve support for Tribal communities preparing for and responding to natural disasters and environmental threats.
Occurrences
Evidence
The Bureau of Indian Affairs describes the Tribal Community Resilience Annual Awards Program as competitive funding for federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations to build community resilience capacity. The page says FY2024 award recipients have been announced, over $121 million was made available across planning, implementation, and relocation/managed-retreat/protect-in-place staff categories, and future funding opportunities will be posted when available.
The Senate Appropriations Committee page lists Lisa Murkowski as Chair of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Its jurisdiction includes the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service, and other tribal-related agencies and programs.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the draft FY2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill 26-2. The release says the bill rejected cuts to Tribal safety, Tribal schools, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and IHS advance appropriations, provided $12 billion across Tribal programs, and that a manager's package offered by Chair Murkowski was adopted unanimously.
The FY2026 joint explanatory statement funding table for Operation of Indian Programs lists 'Tribal Climate Resilience' with FY2025 enacted funding of $34.291 million and a FY2026 final bill level of $34.291 million, rejecting the zero request shown in the table.
The Senate roll call for H.R. 6938 shows the bill passed 82-15 on January 15, 2026. Murkowski (R-AK) is listed as voting Yea on passage of the consolidated appropriations bill for FY2026.
Interior announced $121 million for 124 Tribal Community Resilience Annual Awards Program projects to help Tribal communities prepare for severe climate-related environmental threats. DOI said the funding came from the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and FY2024 annual appropriations, and supported planning, adaptation, relocation, protect-in-place, ocean/coastal management, and habitat projects.
Assessments
Murkowski held the relevant Senate Interior-Environment appropriations role, helped advance the FY2026 Interior funding package through committee, and voted for final passage of the consolidated appropriations bill. The final FY2026 materials preserved BIA Tribal Climate/Community Resilience funding at the FY2025 enacted level despite a proposed elimination, and the BIA Tribal Community Resilience grant program remained active with substantial awards during the same Senate term. This satisfies the promise to work to address and preserve support for Tribal communities preparing for natural disasters and environmental threats.