Congress Needs to Hear from Tribes
on FY 2020 Appropriations
Negotiations between House and Senate
will Determine IHS's Budget
Contact your member of Congress Today!
October 11, 2019

Congress Needs to Hear from Tribes
on FY 2020 Appropriations
Negotiations around funding levels for federal agencies and departments are continuing in Congress. The House and Senate must agree on funding levels for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 by November 21. If that does not happen, Congress would have to enact another Continuing Resolution to fund the government at current levels or the government would shut down. It is crucial that Tribes engage with Congress to ensure adequate funding for Tribal health!

The House has already passed its Interior Appropriations bill, which provides funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS). For more information about the House's legislation, click here .


The Senate, however, has not yet scheduled a vote on its Interior appropriations bill. Click here for NIHB's analysis of the Senate's legislation. Its bill included an overall lower funding amount for IHS, $6.04 billion compared to the House's $6.3 billion. The Senate's bill also contains lower funding in several key line items:
HOUSE
IHS............................... $6.3 billion

Hospitals & Clinics.......... $2.42 billion
Mental Health.............. $125.3 million
Alcohol & Subs. Abuse....... $280 million
Purchased/Ref Care....... $969.5 million
Facilities..................... $964.1 million
Community Health Reps... $62.9 million
Urban Indian Health.......... $81 million
SENATE
IHS............................. $6.04 billion

Hospitals & Clinics........... $2.34 billion
Mental Health.............. $108.5 million
Alcohol & Subs. Abuse.... $247.8 million
Purchased/Ref Care....... $967.4 million
Facilities..................... $902.9 million
Community Health Reps... $62.8 million
Urban Indian Health........... $53 million
As Congress continues work on this legislation, it is vital that lawmakers hear from you! Contact your member of Congress today and tell them to prioritize IHS funding to provide health care to our people!

Click here for a sample letter to send to your member of Congress, and here for one to send to your senators .

Click here for your member of Congress's contact information, and here for your senators' information.

For any questions on FY 2020 appropriations, please contact NIHB Deputy Director of Congressional Relations, Shervin Aazami, at saazami@nihb.org



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