Sponsors (2)
The bill lets the Puyallup Tribe access trust assets and preserves eligibility for newer federal programs, but it risks depleting the trust over time and imposes federal approval requirements that limit tribal control.
Puyallup Tribe members can withdraw and use trust-fund assets under a Secretary‑approved management plan, enabling funding for tribal programs and services now.
Puyallup Tribe members gain preserved access to any federal programs enacted after 1989 on the same footing as other federally recognized tribes, protecting eligibility for future grants and services.
Puyallup Tribe members risk reduced long-term trust principal and fewer resources for future generations if withdrawals are not managed prudently.
The requirement for the Secretary to approve the management plan could constrain tribal autonomy and delay access to funds while plans are reviewed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 3, 2026 by Maria E. Cantwell · Last progress February 3, 2026
Allows the Puyallup Tribe to withdraw money from its permanent trust fund under existing federal trust-management law when those withdrawals follow a management plan approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Also states that nothing in the 1989 settlement law prevents the United States from treating the Tribe the same as other federally recognized tribes under any federal law enacted after 1989. These changes are technical and clarify legal authority: they add an explicit route for trust-fund withdrawals under the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 and preserve the Tribe’s eligibility for later federal laws and programs on the same basis as other tribes. The bill does not appropriate new funds or set new deadlines.