DOGE cuts cost tribes $470M, gutting funding for climate projects — SkimNews
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- DOGE eliminated $468 million in tribal funding, about half of which was designated for environmental and natural resources projects, undercutting climate resilience and renewable energy initiatives in Indigenous communities
- Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $20 million grant in 2024 to the Native Village of Kotzebue for a wind energy project aimed at cutting diesel dependence from 75% to 40–50%, but the Trump administration canceled it in May 2025
- Brookings Institution reports that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and DOGE actions together dismantled key funding streams from the Inflation Reduction Act, reversing historic post-pandemic investments in tribal infrastructure
- Hopi Tribe was set to receive a $25 million grant for solar panel installation on 600 homes, part of the $7 billion Solar for All program, all of which was canceled under the administration’s cuts
- Rob Maxim of the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation emphasized that federal funding for tribes fulfills treaty and trust obligations, not race-based initiatives, and should be protected from political shifts
- Glencora Haskins at Brookings Metro stated that the administration applied a superficial review of tribal programs, failing to recognize their role in addressing systemic infrastructure deficits in Native communities
Why it matters: Indigenous communities lose critical funding for energy independence and climate resilience, with $468 million in cuts undermining tribal sovereignty and reversing $700 million in prior climate investments. The cancellations break federal trust obligations and expose tribes to volatile fuel prices, as seen in Kotzebue’s 20% household energy burden.
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