Boost Indian Health Service funding, AI/AN Health Partners urges
The AI/AN Health Partners, a coalition that includes the ADA and is committed to improving health outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native, or AI/AN, communities, is calling on House and Senate appropriators to strengthen funding for the Indian Health Service, or IHS, as they finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior Appropriations bill.
In Dec. 2 letters to House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, the coalition praised the committees’ initial support for IHS but urged lawmakers to adopt the House’s higher proposed funding levels in three key areas. Their requests include $95.3 million for Indian Health Professions to address the Service’s 30% provider vacancy rate, $188.7 million for Health Care Facilities to replace aging staff housing and $41.9 million for Equipment to help modernize outdated diagnostic tools still in use across Tribal, urban and federal facilities.
“The Indian Health Service is critical to how they access health care. However, the IHS must have sufficient resources to meet its mission to raise the physical, mental, social and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level,” the coalition said.
The coalition underscored the growing urgency of IHS workforce challenges. Citing testimony from National Indian Health Board CEO AC Locklear, they noted that federal workforce reductions and hiring freezes across health agencies since early 2025 have disrupted Tribal programs and worsened staff morale.
As the IHS marks its 70th anniversary, AI/AN Health Partners emphasized that the agency has never been fully funded and warned that recent program cuts further threaten access to care. They urged Congress to provide the highest possible funding levels for FY 2026 to help the Service meet its mission of elevating the health of AI/AN communities.
“With the Service experiencing additional program cuts this year, it is more important than ever that Congress allocate the highest funding level possible for the IHS in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations,” the coalition said.
Along with the ADA, the AI/AN Health Partners include the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists, Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS, International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium and National Kidney Foundation.
