Washington, D.C. – On October 29, 2025, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing focused on the “Impacts of Government Shutdowns and Agency Reductions in Force on Native Communities.”  Witnesses discussed the consequences of potential lapses in funding for critical programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On October 29, 2025, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to examine the Section 106 consultation process under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Chairman Lee opened the hearing commenting that “When a law written to protect our past starts to block our future, it can be worth examining where we are and how we got here.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On October 21, 2025, OMB released a memo entitled “Streamlining the Review of Deregulatory Actions” (Memorandum M-25-36). The OMB memo states that federal agencies are not eliminating enough federal regulations and encourages more deregulation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The five-week government shutdown shows no signs of resolution as talks in Congress remain frozen. While federal workers are now missing paychecks and effects are felt across Indian Country and the rest of the United States, the Senate is at a standstill. Last week, bills to pay federal employees were blocked and neither Democrats nor Republicans would agree to the other party’s bills to extend funding.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) have just noticed two critical hearings for Wednesday, October 29, 2025. The ENR Hearing will examine Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The hearing is expected to focus on allegations that Section 106 review of historic and cultural properties is slowing the approval of energy projects.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed William “Billy” Kirkland as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.  The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs assists the Secretary of the Interior in fulfilling the Department of the Interior’s trust responsibilities to Indian Tribes.  The Assistant Secretary is also entrusted with strengthening the vital government-to-government relationship and overseeing the laws and regulations that affect both Tribes and their individual members.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Federal government officially shut down on Wednesday, October 1, after Congress failed to reach a critical funding deal. With funding for many federal agencies now lapsed, about 750,000 workers are furloughed. The President has also warned that a prolonged shutdown could result in permanent layoffs. The impact of the shutdown varies significantly across agencies, depending on existing funding and approved contingency plans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule), which prohibits road construction, road re-construction, and timber harvesting in roadless areas within 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On September 8, 2025, the Department of the Interior released a new policy designed to accelerate the approval process for tribal broadband infrastructure projects.  The new policy is focused on streamlining the processing of right-of-way (ROW) applications to build broadband infrastructure.

MADISON, WI - Skenandore Wilson LLP is proud to announce that Founding Partner Samantha C. Skenandore has been ranked once again in the “2026 Best Lawyers in America®” in the USA-Nationwide rankings for Native American Law! The Best Lawyers in America® recognizes the top legal talent across the country, based on a rigorous and time-tested peer-review methodology. This esteemed publication highlights lawyers consistently lauded by their peers for their professional skills and ethical standards using a transparent and confidential peer-review survey process.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Skenandore Wilson LLP is thrilled to announce that our Founding Partner Samantha Skenandore will be one of the featured speakers at the upcoming Indigenous Business Conference, “Indigenous Biz Con”, on October 13-14, 2025 at Potawatomi Casino – Milwaukee, WI. This year's conference, "Rising Tides: Building Economies, Empowering Generations," promises to be a dynamic and insightful event, bringing together leading experts and innovators to explore public-private partnerships, tribally owned enterprises, and collaborative ventures between Native-owned businesses and state or corporate partners. Indigenous Biz Con provides an opportunity for attendees to learn, network, and collaborate to build meaningful partnerships that result in business, all while breaking down barriers to economic development, building community, and elevating the voices of Native entrepreneurs. You can register at https://indigenousbusinessgroup.org/event/indigenous-business-con/. We look forward to seeing you there!

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On August 1, 2025, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, released draft legislation to significantly improve the well-being and future opportunities for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children and families. Chairman Murkowski is seeking comments on the legislation by September 12, 2025. Comments should be submitted by email to: Murkowski_Outreach@Indian.Senate.Gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 24, 2025, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Appropriations Bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The bill is a response to the President’s proposed budget and includes appropriations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Indian Health Service (IHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and more. The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration. Any differences with the bill passed by the House will need to be resolved prior to final passage by Congress.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 15, 2025, the House Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The FY 2026 bill is a response to the President’s proposed budget and includes appropriations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Indian Health Service (IHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and more.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 17, 2025, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a confirmation hearing for Mr. William “Billy” Kirkland (Navajo) to be the next Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior. The Assistant Secretary is one of the most important political appointees within the Administration charged with fulfilling the United States treaty and trust obligations to Indian tribes. The Committee is expected to approve Mr. Kirkland’s nomination. His nomination would then be considered by the full Senate.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, H.R. 1 (the “Act”) into law. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a sweeping domestic policy package focused on tax cuts, border enforcement, and major cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”). The Act passed Congress as a budget reconciliation bill which means that it only needed a simple majority vote to pass. The Republicans passed the Act through Congress by just a few votes. No Democrats voted for the Act and a few Republicans voted against the Act.

MADISON, WI - Skenandore Wilson LLP is proud to announce that Founding Partner Samantha C. Skenandore has been ranked in the 2025 Chambers and Partners USA directory for the 5th year in a row in the USA-Nationwide rankings for Native American Law! Chambers USA is the world’s leading legal data and analytics provider, highlighting the top lawyers and law firms across the USA for over two decades, so that buyers of legal services are equipped to make the best choice for when it matters.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The President’s FY 2026 Budget proposes substantial cuts to critical programs serving Tribal nations. These details emerged from “Budget in Brief” summaries released by the Department of the Interior, Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies. . . .

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Find documents related to: - President’s Discretionary Budget Request. - Technical Supplement to the Budget Request. - Department of the Interior’s Budget in Brief, which oversees a majority of Indian Country programs - Indian Health Service Congressional Justification Plan.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior (“Interior”) issued two tribal consultation notices: first, on the reorganization of Interior, and second, on the streamlining of energy permits. These two consultation notices have been combined into a single consultation that will address two serious and significant issues facing tribal nations. Regional tribal consultations on both issues start today, May 20, 2025, and written comments on both are due on July 7, 2025. On April 14, 2025, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (the “Acting ASIA”), Scott Davis, issued a notice for Tribal Consultation on the Proposed Reorganization of the Department of the Interior. Some may recall former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s efforts under the first Trump Administration to reorganize Interior. Tribes successfully advocated to be excluded from that reorganization due to potential impacts on treaty and trust responsibilities. Interior is now proposing “restructuring of Indian Affairs to support more efficient interactions with Tribes.” This includes efforts “to improve efficiency through staffing changes, resource sharing, process improvements, and potential consolidation of programs and offices.” Interior is also proposing to increase support for Tribal Self-Governance and Self-Determination contracts and “provide Tribes with improved flexibility to foster economic growth, address the specific local needs of their communities, and increase pathways to self-determination and self-governance.” On May 1, 2025, the Acting ASIA issued a second notice for Tribal Consultation on Interior’s Energy Emergency Procedures to take place at the same time as the first consultation. Interior’s Energy Emergency Procedures were released following the President Trump’s declaration of a National Energy Emergency and are already being implemented by Interior. Interior’s Energy Emergency Procedures address streamlining under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), and National Historic Preservation Act (“NHPA”). Under NEPA, the procedures provide that Interior should complete review of qualified energy projects within 28 days. Under the ESA, Interior will provide t expedited consultation on impacts to threatened or endangered species. Under the NHPA, Interior will provide 7 days for Indian tribes and others to comment on impacts to historic or cultural properties. Please find attached the: 1) April 14, 2025 Consultation Notice on the Reorganization of the Department of the Interior; 2) May 1, 2025 Consultation Notice on Energy Emergency Procedures; and 3) Energy Emergency Procedures for NEPA, ESA, and NHPA.