Rep. Craig Leads Re-Authorization of Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig – a member of the Congressional Native American Caucus – joined Reps. Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Troy Downing (MT-02) in introducing legislation to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA).

NAHASDA was first enacted in 1996 and remains the primary vehicle for providing federal housing assistance to Native American communities through the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program. Although the program continues to receive annual appropriations, it has not been reauthorized since 2008 – leaving Tribal nations to navigate a growing housing crisis with outdated tools.

“Right now, nearly 40% of on-reservation housing is considered substandard and that’s unacceptable,” said Rep Craig. “Without ample housing in Indian Country, Tribal Members have struggled to access the health care, economic opportunities and education they deserve. That’s why I’m leading the effort to re-authorize NAHASDA and provide much-needed federal housing support to Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized Tribal communities.”

This legislation has been developed in partnership with the National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC), which represents over 475 Tribes and Tribal housing organizations across the country. The bill has received support from the Bipartisan Policy Center Action, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the Native CDFI Network, the Housing Assistance Council and NeighborWorks.

This Congress, Rep. Craig requested over $10 million in federal funding for the Native American Relending Demonstration in the Fiscal Year 2027 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service budget. If approved, this funding will help improve homeownership opportunities in rural areas for Native American communities.

Rep. Craig is a cosponsor of the bipartisan Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act to continue funding the State and Tribal Historic Preservation Office, which maintains and protects historic Tribal buildings and landmarks.

In 2023, Rep. Craig secured $1.16 million to upgrade the Prairie Island Indian Community’s energy efficiency technology, which provides on-reservation housing with long overdue access to modern, energy-efficient home appliances. Thanks to these critical upgrades, Prairie Island has been able to eliminate over 35,307 pounds in CO2 emissions per year.

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