Budget & Taxes (Procurement · Tribal Nations)

The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act of 2026 reauthorizes federal housing assistance for Indian tribes and Native Hawaiians through fiscal year 2033 while expanding eligibility to include families with incomes up to 120 percent of the area median. The bill grants tribes greater autonomy by allowing them to set their own rent, procurement, and environmental review policies, and it streamlines regulatory processes by consolidating environmental reviews and exempting certain small-scale projects from specific federal requirements. Additionally, the legislation establishes new grant programs for homeless American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, creates a rental assistance program for homeless Indian veterans, and extends leasehold interests on trust lands to 99 years to improve financing options.

This bill, titled the Investments in Rural Transit Act, aims to improve funding and administrative support for public transportation in rural areas and on Tribal lands. It increases the Federal operating share for rural transit from 50 percent to 80 percent and allows Tribal transit agencies to receive up to 100 percent Federal funding for eligible projects. The legislation also streamlines how rural and Tribal agencies can purchase vehicles and equipment through cooperative purchasing arrangements and requires the creation of a new Associate Administrator position focused on Tribal transit support. Additionally, the bill mandates a joint report from the Departments of Transportation and Energy on improving the procurement of low-emission vehicles in rural communities.