NCAI Budget Advocacy and Presidential Transition

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NCAI Budget Advocacy and Presidential
Transition Annual Session 2008
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Outline of Presentation

• Why a national tribal budget taskforce and
  strategy
• Trends of Indian programs that have been
  prioritized
• Upcoming budget timeline
• Tentative tribal strategy and transition plan on
  the federal budget
• Tribal Leader Discussion on strategy, timeline,
  communications, and transition planning

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Why a Tribal Budget Strategy?

• The federal budget reflects the nations
  priorities.
• Appropriations advocacy ranks at the top of
  tribal strategic initiatives.
• The budget process has historically failed to
  fund the trust obligations to tribes.

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Background

• Interior -16

From Congressman Norm Dicks Statement Before the
House Committee on Budget
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Government Wide Funding Trends
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Priority Area Public Safety
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Natural Resources
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(No Transcript)
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Federal Appropriations Process as it Impacts
Tribes
We are here
FY 08
FY 09
FY 10
FY 11
1 2 3 4__
O N D J F M A M J J A S
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
FY 11 Budget Targets Set
FY 10 Budget Targets Set
current services only new admin will submit in
April
BIA Tribes
BIA Tribes
Significant delays in FY 2009 FY 2010
Executive Branch FY 10 Budget Deliberations
BIA Tribes
DOI BIA
OMB DOI BIA
Dialogue Pre-embargo
Cong Action on 09 Budget
Cong Action on 10 Budget
CR thru Mar 6
Strategy efforts
FY 09 2nd yr Exec. /Close out
FY 10 2nd yr Exec. /Close out
Tribal Opportunities
FY 11 Budget Execution
FY 10 Budget Execution
FY 09 Budget Execution
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Budget Timeline
We are Here
FY 09 Apr-May-Jun 09
FY 09 Jan-Feb-Mar 09
FY 09 Jul-Aug-Sep 09
08
08
08
Close out/ Execution
Close out/ Execution
Close out/ Execution
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09
09
Budget Implementation Execution
Budget Implementation Execution
Budget Implementation Execution
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10
10
Bush Budget Submitted in Feb CR Expires March 6
New Admin budget early April Tribes seek 10
funds From Congress
FY10 Budget Congressional Action
lobbying results
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11
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Tribes/IA to establish FY 11 budget
options within targets
Budget Development Finish FY 11 Consultation
submit to Dept
FY 11 Budget Embargoed -- Executive
Branch Deliberations
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12
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N/A
FY 12 Adopt Tribal/IA priorities
N/A
Mar 17, 18th 09 National Mtg DC area
Aug, 09 TBD host
May 09 TBD DC area
TBAC Schedule
Dec 9-10, 09 Weston DC
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CONGRESSIONAL PROCESS
Presidents Budget
DOI / IA Hearings, briefings, questions
DOI / IA Hearings, briefings, questions
Congress
Authorizers
Appropriators
Senate Indian Affairs Committee
House Natural Resources Committee
HAC, Subcommittee on Interior, Environ-ment,
Related Agencies
SAC, Subcommittee on Interior, Environ-ment,
Related Agencies
Note Bills addressing specific Items (like
settlements) may come Through the authorizers.
Conference
Bill
President signs
CR
Enacted Budget
PL
JR
Omnibus
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FY 2009 Budget Update

• Continuing Resolution through March 6 43.01
• BIA Briefed House Senate Approps Committee
  staffers
• Re FY 2009 status/DoI direction October 10
• FY 2009 CR worst case FY 2008 enacted
  Congressional earmarks increases 09PB
  decreases. (JOM, HIP, Welfare)
• Exception was Road Maintenance funded at 2008
  level
• Expect OMB direction shortly
• Mindful of Section 110 of CR

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FY 2009 Budget Update

• Continuing Resolution -- Public Law 110-329
• Sec 104 no new starts
• Sec 105 Obligations under the CR must be
  covered within any finally enacted appropriation
  (regardless of if an individual program is
  funded)
• Sec 109 funding under CR cannot impinge on
  final funding prerogatives of the Congress
• Sec 110 implement only most limited funding
  action
• Sec 142 pay raise increase must be absorbed
  within existing funds no new money

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Barriers to Effective Advocacy

• Need for collective and unified advocacy
• Members of Congress say they simply dont hear
  enough from tribal leadership on appropriations
  issues.
• Some tribes are effective in securing local
  projects
• Diverse needs across tribes

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Presidential Transition Memo

• NCAI is in the process of drafting a transition
  memo for the next presidential transition team.
• Tribes often overlooked in transition and early
  years of administrations
• Long term issues must be addressed early in an
  administration.

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Identifying Indian Country's Priorities

• Trust Reform and Tribal Natural Resources
  Management
• Tribal Sovereignty, Treaty Rights and
  Consultation
• Funding of Tribal Government Services
• Law Enforcement
• Taxation

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Snapshot of Transition Goals

• Tribal Participation in Transition team
• White House Advisor on Indian Nations
• Secretary of Interior that understands Indian
  Country
• Create OMB Assistant Director for Native American
  Programs
• Asst. Sec. for Indian Affairs strong Native
  leader

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Presidential Transition Memo Budget Policy Paper

• Create OMB Assistant Director for Native American
  Programs Administration budgets for Indian
  programs are organized where they are subservient
  to natural resources budgets. Indian communities
  are not a natural resource! We strongly urge a
  reorganization of OMB to appropriately prioritize
  the budget for Indian programs.

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OMB Organization Chart
NCAI Transition Recommendation
Associate Director for Native American Programs
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Transition Policy Papers on Major Issues

• Law EnforcementTrust Reform and Trust
  SettlementSovereignty and Government to
  Government ConsultationLand into TrustBudget
  and FundingTaxationEconomic DevelopmentHealth
  Care

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Need Tribal Input on Transition Policy Paper on
Budget

• NCAI invites your input on the content of the
  transition policy paper on the federal budget
• Outline so far is
• Overview of tribal priority programs Public
  safety, health care, education, natural
  resources, TPA.
• Creation of Associate Director for AIAN programs
  at OMB
• Any recommendations on the consultation process?

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FY 2009/2010 Timeline

• FY 2010
• November 4th Election
• In November and December, the transition teams
  will try to match campaign themes with budget
  totals.
• NCAI and tribal leaders need to meet with
  transition teams right after the election.
• Presidents FY 2010 Budget (based on last
  transitions)
• At the end of February, new administration will
  release some kind of high-level budget blueprint
  with overarching priorities. Details unlikely to
  be released at the tribal level.
• A detailed budget will likely be released by new
  administration in April or May.

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FY 2009 Work

• FY 2009 CR Action
• CR ends in March
• Final work on CR will probably occur in January
  and February
• Need to make sure final CR fully funds tribal
  programs

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Campaigns on Funding for Tribes

• McCain Emphasis on Self-determination and
  self-governance
• Opening remarks at the Indian program budget
  hearing (2005)
• I recognize the need to balance the federal
  budget and agree that cuts in discretionary
  spending programs are warranted. As a fiscal
  conservative I expect to support a Budget
  Resolution that keeps discretionary spending
  down. That said, I object to many of the
  decreases in funding that are proposed in the
  Presidents FY 2006 Budget for Indian programs.
  The federal government has continually reneged on
  its trust and moral obligations to meet the
  educational, healthcare, and housing needs of
  Indians, and these needs far outweigh the
  imperceptible contribution that the proposed cuts
  will make to reduce the deficit.

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McCain contd

• Some of the proposed reductions that are
  particularly ill-advised are to those programs,
  such as BIAs Tribal Priority Allocation Program,
  and HUDs Native American Housing Block Grant
  program, that are managed and administered by the
  tribes themselves.
• These findings (Harvard report on economic
  development) support the need for consistent
  federal funding for programs that help Indian
  tribes achieve self-determination and that allow
  local decision makers, not federal
  administrators, determine how best to address
  local needs.

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Obama on Funding for Tribes

• Obama campaign
• supports sufficient funding for IHS and proper
  staffing and maintenance for IHS facilities.
• supports funding for Native language immersion
  and preservation programs.
• would fund No Child Left Behind and reform the
  law to better incorporate Title VII
• supports increasing funding for the Head Start
  program, including the American Indian and Alaska
  Native Head Start Programs

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Obama on Funding, contd

• Obama campaign supports
• Funding for IHBG
• Fully funding COPS at Dept. of Justice
• Funding for tribal colleges and facilities
  construction
• (From Obama campaign website.)

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NCAI Budget Workgroup

• Participants
• National Tribal Organizations
• Regional Tribal Organizations
• Issue Specific Organizations
• Co-Chairs/Member of agency tribal budget
  consultation committees
• Tribal Leaders
• Key Meeting Dates
• Presidents Budget, Consultations, Appropriations
  Season, State of Indian Nations Address

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Comprehensive Budget Requests

• National Tribal Budget Request parallel to the
  Presidents budget request
• Consistent, unified message on tribal budget
  priorities
• Distributed in conjunction with NCAIs annual
  State of Indian Nations address
• Underscored tribes as governments and the success
  of tribal self-determination

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(No Transcript)
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Next Budget Taskforce Meeting

• December 8th, 2008
• We will discuss the upcoming themes and tribal
  input for the FY2010 Tribal Budget Request
• All national, regional, and issue organizations
  are invited to attend as well as tribal leaders

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Appropriations Website
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BIA/Tribal Budget Advisory Council
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Discussion with Tribal Leadership

• What more can NCAI provide?
• What should be the role for NCAI?
• What information is helpful to tribal leaders?
• When are updates helpful to tribes?
• Are there other ways of communicating that would
  be beneficial to you and to improve our
  collective advocacy for Indian Country?
• How could the budget consultation be improved?
  This is the time to be creative.
• Any feedback on the Transition Policy paper?

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Gunalcheesh!

• Referenced documents, appropriations analysis,
  and further information is available at
  www.ncai.org.