First-of-its-kind committee will offer counsel on specific housing and infrastructure needs for Indian Country
Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the formation of the Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (TIAC), as part of the Biden-Harris Administrations commitment to engaging with Tribal Nations. The announcement comes as President Biden hosts the first White House Tribal Nations Summit since 2016, which will provide Tribal leaders from the 574 federally recognized Tribes the opportunity to engage and consult directly with the President and members of the Cabinet on a Nation-to-Nation basis. The first-of-its-kind advisory committee within HUD will bring together senior HUD officials and Tribal Leaders to ensure the needs of Tribes are being met in how HUD programs and designed and implemented.
“The creation of HUD’s first Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee demonstrates that HUD is firmly committed to fulfilling the federal government’s trust responsibility” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “This is a historic step towards honoring and strengthening our special Nation-to-Nation relationship while ensuring that the federal government is working alongside Tribal leaders to identify housing solutions that make sense for Indian Country.”
The TIAC formalizes collaboration between HUD and Tribal Nations and will join Secretary Fudge, Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman, various Assistant Secretaries within the Department, and Tribal leaders nominated to serve on the Committee. Today, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register to solicit input from Tribes on the structure of the TIAC and provide additional detail about the new Advisory Committee. In the coming months, HUD will solicit nominations for Tribal Leaders to serve on the TIAC.
The TIAC reflects President Biden and Secretary Fudge’s commitment to addressing the nation’s housing crisis, particularly for underserved communities, as underscored by the historic $1 billion in funding for Tribal Nations included in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Build Back Better plan. Secretary Fudge has also made housing in Tribal communities a priority of HUD’s new House America initiative, which in partnership with the White House and the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, brings together governors, mayors, Tribal leaders, and others to put America on the path to ending homelessness.
From the beginning of her tenure, Secretary Fudge has met with numerous Tribal leaders, including in a visit to the Catawba Indian Nation Reservation in South Carolina. She has personally committed to bringing more resources to addressing the housing and infrastructure needs of people living in Indian Country. Secretary Fudge also tasked the Department with taking action to fulfill the federal trust responsibility and strengthen relationships between the United States and Tribal Nations.
This fall, HUD Deputy Secretary Todman held a series of in-depth roundtable discussions with Tribal leaders and housing practitioners in all six regions defined by the Office of Native American Programs – Alaska, Southwest, Northwest, Northern Plains, Southern Plains, and Eastern Woodlands. She discussed the unique and complex issues facing Tribal communities with Tribal leaders and housing practitioners, the cost of construction to manifestations of homelessness in Tribal communities.