Ben Luján (D-NM)
Indian Programs Advance Appropriations Act of 2025
A Democratic bill with 2 Republican cosponsors · See all 7 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Indian Programs Advance Appropriations Act of 2025 allows for advance appropriations for specific accounts within the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Indian Health Service. Starting in fiscal year 2026, budget authority can be provided for both the current fiscal year and the following one. The act requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services to provide detailed funding estimates for these accounts in the President's budget. Additionally, it mandates annual reports on resource sufficiency and requires consultation with Indian Tribes during the budget process.
Yes· 3 of 10
- Scored +9
Would Native Americans be better off under this?
Directly benefits Native American tribes through advance appropriations and improved budget participation.
- Scored +7
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
Ensures more stable and predictable funding for the Indian Health Service.
- Scored +6
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?
Many Indian Health Service and BIA programs serve remote rural populations.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Advance Funding Availability: By providing advance new budget authority for the first fiscal year after the budget year, the act ensures funds are available sooner for covered accounts in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and Indian Health Service (Section 2).
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Improved Budget Planning: The requirement for detailed estimates of funds necessary for the following fiscal year allows for better long-term planning for Indian programs (Section 2(c)).
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Tribal Participation: The act requires the Secretary of the Interior to consult with and solicit the participation of Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations when developing budget requests for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Section 3(b)).
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Accountability through Reporting: The requirement for an annual report on the sufficiency of resources, including workload and demand data, ensures the government tracks if these programs have enough money to function (Section 2(d)).
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Inflation and Population Adjustments: The Indian Health Service budget justifications must now reflect changes in the size of the population served and the cost of health services based on the Consumer Price Index (Section 3(d)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts for individuals or groups are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Directly benefits Native American tribes through advance appropriations and improved budget participation. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Many Indian Health Service and BIA programs serve remote rural populations. Would children be better off under this? — Improves funding stability for the Bureau of Indian Education. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Improves access to health and education services for low-income tribal members. Would students be better off under this? — Supports more reliable funding for Indian education programs.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — Ensures more stable and predictable funding for the Indian Health Service.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — Provides improved financial stability and consultation for Native American tribal programs.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — Supports construction and operations accounts for tribal programs often in rural areas.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires detailed funding estimates and resource sufficiency reports to be submitted to Congress.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Improves budget planning and resource sufficiency reporting for Indian programs.
- 2/4/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/28/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/30/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/11/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocrat · Nevada
Ruben GallegoDemocrat · Arizona
Martin HeinrichDemocrat · New Mexico
Mark KellyDemocrat · Arizona
Markwayne MullinRepublican · Oklahoma
Tina SmithDemocrat · Minnesota
Thomas TillisRepublican · North Carolina