Coverage of tribal natural resources is supported in part by Catena FoundationPresident Donald Trump's Navajo pick to become the next Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs was officially confirmed Tuesday during Day 7 of the federal government shutdown — three months following his confirmation hearing.
Senate Republicans confirmed William "Billy" Kirkland III among more than 100 Trump nominees along party lines — while Democrats, including Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, voted against it.
Kirkland, who is Navajo, pledged to work with federal lawmakers to address potential budget cuts facing Indian Country.
"First of all, it is unfortunate, but tribal nations have always been asked to do more with less," said Kirkland at his July hearing, stressing "whatever dollars are allocated towards the Office of Indian Affairs by Congress, we're going to work to make sure that we get the best investment."
In a statement, the National Congress of American Indians congratulated Kirkland, adding the D.C. nonprofit that lobbies on Capitol Hill for more than 574 federally recognized tribes across Indian Country "looks forward to his swearing in and the important work to follow."
But Kirkland enters his new role, under Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, at a time when more than half of all staff agencywide have been furloughed. Now those nearly 31,000 federal workers, and many more, may not be guaranteed back pay, according to a White House memo being floated by the Trump administration.
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