Why It Matters

The Trump administration's proposed cuts to tribal law enforcement funding have become part of a broader debate over the federal response to missing and murdered Indigenous people, even as Congress ultimately rejected the administration's proposed fiscal 2026 reduction in tribal public safety funding.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held a Sept. 15 hearing titled "Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: Strengthening Public Safety in Tribal Communities." Witnesses described persistent violence, jurisdictional barriers and resource shortages affecting tribal communities. More than half of Native women have endured sexual violence. In some tribal communities, Native women have faced murder rates roughly 10 times the national average.

The Big Picture

The Trump administration removed the "Not One More" report from the Department of Justice website in February 2025 as the administration reviewed federal materials for compliance with its executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and gender policy. The report examined the missing and murdered Indigenous people and human trafficking crises, identifying systemic gaps in law enforcement, data collection, victim services and intergovernmental coordination and recommending reforms to improve prevention, investigations and support for victims and families.

The removal drew particular scrutiny because President Trump signed both Savanna's Act and the Not Invisible Act into law in 2020. Those laws strengthened coordination among federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement and established a commission focused on missing persons, murder, human trafficking and other violent crimes affecting Native communities. The Not Invisible Act Commission produced the report that was later removed from the Justice Department website.

The administration's original fiscal 2026 budget proposal sought a $107 million, or approximately 20%, reduction to Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Safety and Justice programs. The administration said the reduction would "streamline the tribal law enforcement program to reduce redundancies."

Congress ultimately rejected that proposed reduction. The final fiscal 2026 Interior appropriations law provided approximately $570 million for Tribal Public Safety and Justice programs, $14.5 million above the previous fiscal year's enacted level, including $18.5 million for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women initiative.

The underlying funding gap remains substantial. National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro has said BIA public safety and justice programs were funded at just 14% of estimated need, representing a $2.33 billion shortfall. The Trump administration's proposed $107 million reduction would have cut tribal law enforcement support by approximately 20 percent, but Congress did not enact that reduction.

Broader Context

As of Sept. 15, there were 41 missing Indigenous people in Montana. Indigenous people make up roughly 6% of Montana's population but accounted for 31% of reported missing-person cases in the state in 2025. Knudsen called on federal lawmakers to address jurisdictional barriers that he said complicate investigations in tribal communities.

"My agents and law enforcement officers can't do anything on tribal lands unless they are asked by a federal agency," Knudsen testified. "That results in wasted time and wasted resources in some cases."

Myron Lizer, former vice president of the Navajo Nation, testified about the persistence of the MMIP crisis and resource shortages facing tribal law enforcement. The Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles across three states with severely understaffed law enforcement.

Trent Shores, managing shareholder at GableGotwals and former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, discussed the challenges facing law enforcement in Indian Country, including the increased federal responsibilities resulting from the Supreme Court's McGirt v. Oklahoma decision. Shores previously led Justice Department efforts addressing missing and murdered Indigenous people.

Abigail Echo-Hawk, executive vice president of the Seattle Indian Health Board and director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, presented data on the effect of federal funding reductions on organizations serving Native survivors of violence. A report from the institute found that organizations were unable to fulfill more than 1,000 requests for services, including 690 requests related to safe housing.

Echo-Hawk also called for more to be done "to take families seriously when they report a loved one missing."

Jurisdictional complexity remains a recurring obstacle in MMIP investigations, while federal data demonstrate the scale of violence facing Native communities. National Institute of Justice research found that more than 84% of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime.

Political Stakes

The Not Invisible Act Commission's recommendations have not all been enacted into law nearly three years after the report's delivery, although Congress has considered additional legislation addressing tribal law enforcement, data collection and missing-person investigations.

The hearing also highlighted the fallout from a massive Arizona Medicaid fraud scheme that targeted Native Americans. Between 2019 and 2023, thousands of Native Americans from Arizona and elsewhere were recruited into fraudulent sober-living and behavioral health programs under promises of treatment. Authorities estimate fraudulent providers improperly billed Arizona's Medicaid program billions of dollars. Victims and advocates have reported that some people were subsequently stranded far from home, while criminal cases connected to the scheme have included allegations of vulnerable-adult abuse, manslaughter and negligent homicide.

The hearing highlighted that tribes have long relied on short-term competitive Department of Justice grants to compensate for inadequate BIA funding. Tribal leaders have argued that these grants do little to address "structural barriers in the funding and operation of criminal justice systems in Indian Country."

The Justice Department has also continued targeted enforcement efforts. It launched Operation Not Forgotten in April 2025, deploying FBI personnel to 10 field offices to investigate unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including MMIP cases. In April, the Justice Department expanded the operation to 11 FBI field offices and deployed investigative, intelligence and victim-services personnel.

The Bottom Line

No legislation was formally associated with the Sept. 15 hearing on the House committee's hearing page. Lawmakers have nevertheless pursued legislation addressing parts of the MMIP response. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has supported the TRACE Act, which would add a field to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System indicating whether a missing person's last known location was confirmed or suspected to be on federal land or territorial waters.

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and John Hoeven (R-ND) have also backed the bipartisan BADGES for Native Communities Act, which would strengthen tribal access to federal missing-person resources and require a comprehensive report on tribal law enforcement needs, including staffing, corrections facilities, police and court infrastructure and emergency communications.

The Senate unanimously passed the BADGES for Native Communities Act in December 2025, leaving further House action necessary for the legislation to reach the president.

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