Sponsors (2)
The bill extends Defense Community Infrastructure Program eligibility to Indian Tribes, improving funding access, coordination, and legal clarity for tribal communities near military bases, at the cost of greater competition for limited funds and some added DoD administrative burden.
Tribal governments near military installations can apply for Defense Community Infrastructure Program grants, increasing access to federal infrastructure funding for tribal communities.
Including Indian Tribes in eligibility can improve coordination between military installations and nearby tribal governments, supporting base resilience and local services that benefit service members, families, and nearby communities.
Clarifying the statutory definition of 'Indian Tribe' reduces legal ambiguity and should speed grant administration and eligibility determinations for tribes.
Expanding eligibility to tribes increases competition for a limited pool of program funds, which could reduce the share available to some state and local applicants.
Adding new eligible classes (Indian Tribes) may require additional DoD administrative work to process applications and ensure compliance, creating implementation costs or delays.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds Indian Tribes as eligible recipients of the Defense Community Infrastructure Program and defines "Indian Tribe" by reference to 25 U.S.C. § 5304.
Official title: Amend title 10, United States Code, to include Indian Tribes in the defense community infrastructure program, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 5, 2026 by Patty Murray · Last progress August 5, 2026
Adds Indian Tribes as explicitly eligible recipients of grants and assistance under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program and inserts a statutory definition of “Indian Tribe” by referencing 25 U.S.C. § 5304. The change modifies the existing statute to ensure tribal governments are treated alongside state and local governments for program participation. The amendment adjusts statutory text and punctuation and adds a definition clause so tribal governments can apply for and receive program benefits intended to support infrastructure projects that serve defense installations and communities.