August 14 at 2:00 pm Eastern
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NIHB’s FY 2024 Analysis
Partner Letter on CSC and 105(l)
Schedule with Congress in 4 Easy Steps

What Happened:

The House and Senate have each released their annual appropriations bills for the Indian Health Service (IHS) and other HHS accounts. The outlook on spending for FY 2024 is a tightening belt, with very low chances of breakout changes, including the addition of more funding for IHS. This fall, The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will be advocating to oppose IHS rescissions, expand advance appropriations to all IHS accounts, and reclassify CSC and 105(l) mandatory payments as mandatory spending. Outreach to Congressional members back in their district during August recess and maintaining pressure into the fall will be critical to maximizing Tribal program investment.

 What Does it Mean:

Now that the House and Senate have both released their 2024 spending bills, lines have been drawn for negotiations between chambers that will take place in the fall. With zero of the twelve regular appropriations bills receiving a floor vote before August recess, the chances of a Continuing Resolution on October 1 are very high.

Most experts consider the real deadline to be December 31, based on a newly enacted provision in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that forces an automatic 1% reduction to defense and non-defense spending if a full-year spending deal has not been reached. If there is no deal on January 1, then tribal program accounts, including accounts provided advance appropriations will be negatively affected.

 How to get involved:

Join NIHB on Monday, August 14, for a virtual Town Hall to analyze the FY 2024 spending bills and discuss priorities, strategies, and next steps going into the fall.

Right now, Congress is adjourned for the August recess, which means most of your representatives will be back home near their state or district. Contacting your representative while they are on recess and inviting them to see your health programs and facilities could be an effective tool to humanize the spending debate back in Washington during the fall.

Once Congress returns in September, there will be a mad dash on the Hill to address certain must-pass legislation, including annual appropriations. Meeting with your representatives any time you or your colleagues visit DC will remain critical to any progress on Tribal spending during the fall.