Sponsor
Melanie Ann Stansbury
Representative · D-NM
Representative · D-NM
The bill directs substantial, targeted funding to expand and improve housing on Tribal lands via the existing NAHASDA framework, improving availability and safety for Indigenous households while adding a recurring federal cost and leaving room for eligibility exclusions and administrative discretion that could delay or limit benefits.
Tribal communities on reservation and trust lands will receive dedicated federal funding ($150M/year) to build new homes or add essential housing features, increasing housing availability for Indigenous households.
Residents of Tribal homes can get improvements and added necessary features that raise living standards and safety (e.g., accessibility, utilities), improving health and safety outcomes in Tribal communities.
Grants are administered under the existing NAHASDA tribal housing framework, which streamlines compliance and leverages established rules and tribal housing entities to speed program delivery and reduce administrative learning curves.
All taxpayers underwrite a new $150M-per-year federal spending commitment, which increases budgetary outlays and could crowd out other federal priorities or require offsets.
The eligibility cutoff (tribes that received less than $500K in NAHASDA in at least one of the prior five years) could exclude some needy tribes or create complexity and uncertainty about who qualifies for funds.
Giving HUD discretion to define what counts as a 'necessary feature' creates potential for delays, disputes, or restrictive interpretations that could slow or limit the use of funds on the ground.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a HUD competitive grant program authorizing $150M/year to build or add necessary features to homes on Tribal land, targeted to tribes/entities with smaller NAHASDA allocations.
Official title: To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to award grants to Indian Tribes and Tribally designated housing entities for the purposes of providing affordable housing and the maintenance or construction of residential dwelling units for Tribes.
Introduced October 24, 2025 by Melanie Ann Stansbury · Last progress October 24, 2025
Creates a new HUD competitive grant program that funds tribal housing construction and improvements. HUD must set up the program within one year and awards go to Indian tribes or tribally designated housing entities that historically received less than $500,000 in NAHASDA allocations. The bill authorizes $150 million to be appropriated to HUD for fiscal year 2026 and each subsequent fiscal year to run the program, and uses NAHASDA administration rules and statutory definitions.