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- By Brian Edwards
- Economic Development
2025 was a year of unprecedented challenges to tribal sovereignty and economic self-determination, as the Trump administration's sweeping policy changes — from proposed budget cuts to federal grant freezes to office closures — tested the durability of treaty obligations and tribal-federal relationships.
While mainstream media often overlooked these impacts on Indian Country, Tribal Business News reported in real time on the threats to tribal programs and economies. Amid the turbulence, the year brought historic moments, including an $826 million jury award for the Seminole Tribe, federal recognition for the Lumbee Nation, and the loss of gaming titan Ernie Stevens Jr., whose 24-year legacy helped build a $43.9 billion industry.
These were the stories that captured your attention and generated the most pageviews and engagement in 2025. We've lowered the paywall so you can revisit them through January 3, 2026.
Trump budget proposes deep cuts to Native American programs
Trump's fiscal 2026 budget proposed devastating cuts to Indian Country, slashing nearly $911 million—24%—from core tribal programs fulfilling federal trust responsibilities. The blueprint eliminated the Indian Guaranteed Loan program, cut tribal law enforcement by 20%, and zeroed out Bureau of Indian Education construction funding despite crumbling school infrastructure. While some drinking water funding increased, the proposal sparked immediate backlash as an abandonment of treaty obligations during a critical time for tribal economic development.
SBA suspends tribal contractor amid fraud investigation into 8(a) program
The SBA suspended Susanville Indian Rancheria's ATI Government Solutions from federal contracting amid allegations the company fraudulently used its tribal 8(a) status to secure over $100 million in no-bid contracts as a pass-through entity. The October suspension—sparked by an undercover video and broader SBA audit of the entire 8(a) program—sent shockwaves through Indian Country as tribal businesses faced intensified scrutiny of their vital federal contracting partnerships and economic development strategies.
Federal grant freeze could impact tribal programs, treaty obligations
In late January, the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget ordered a sweeping freeze on $3 trillion in federal grants and loans, sending tribal nations scrambling to access approved funding before the 5 p.m. deadline. The pause threatened $32.6 billion in annual tribal funding for healthcare, housing, and infrastructure—money tribes "prepaid with nearly 2 billion acres of land." While later clarified as more limited, the freeze exposed tribal vulnerability to federal funding disruptions.
As DOGE lease terminations hit Indian Country, concerns mount about vital services
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency began canceling over 7,500 federal leases in February, shuttering BIA and Indian Health Service offices across six states. The closures threatened in-person services for land titles, leasing, and range management—functions essential to tribal economies but "virtually impossible" to conduct remotely. While the administration's orders didn't explicitly change treaty obligations, the rapid implementation risked "overly broad" application that could disrupt vital tribal services nationwide.
Jury awards Seminole Tribe $826 million in Wells Fargo trust case
A Broward County jury ordered Wells Fargo to pay $826 million to Seminole Tribe of Florida's children in March after finding the bank mismanaged a trust fund tied to Hard Rock gaming revenues. The verdict followed evidence Wells Fargo invested trust assets—now worth $3 billion—in low-yielding accounts while charging $7.6 million in unauthorized fees.
A coalition of tribal organizations sent an urgent letter to Trump in early February warning against misclassifying tribal programs as DEI initiatives subject to executive order cuts. The groups emphasized tribal funding stems from treaty obligations to sovereign nations, not race-based preferences, as confusion mounted over whether recent federal funding freezes would impact Indian Country.
Trump order targets CDFI Fund, threatening Native American access to capital
Trump's March executive order threatened to drastically scale back the CDFI Fund, jeopardizing capital access for 69 Native CDFIs serving tribal communities nationwide. The order directed elimination of "non-statutory components" from the fund that has provided $221 million to Native institutions since 2001, generating $1.6 billion in loans where traditional banks won't operate.
Congress releases defense bill with Lumbee federal recognition, other tribal provisions
Congressional negotiators released the annual defense bill in December, headlining federal recognition for North Carolina's 55,000-member Lumbee Tribe after decades of advocacy. The NDAA provision would authorize land-into-trust authority and full federal program access, resolving one of the country's longest recognition battles. Trump previously signed similar legislation recognizing Montana's Little Shell Tribe in 2019.
Tribal member's case could reshape how Public Law 280 applies to cannabis rights
Minnesota's Court of Appeals heard arguments in November that could reshape Public Law 280's application to cannabis in Indian Country. White Earth Band member Todd Thompson challenged his felony marijuana charge, arguing state legalization and treaty rights protected his smoke shop. A favorable ruling could open cannabis opportunities for individual tribal entrepreneurs beyond tribally-owned monopolies.
Ernest L. "Ernie" Stevens Jr., tribal gaming leader and youth advocate, dies at 66
Ernest L. "Ernie" Stevens Jr., who led the Indian Gaming Association for 24 years through unprecedented growth to $43.9 billion in annual revenue, died suddenly in September at 66. The Oneida Nation citizen and former boxing champion was a transformative advocate for tribal sovereignty, youth development, and economic self-determination across Indian Country.
