DOGE cuts cost tribes $470M, gutting funding for climate projects

Federal funding cuts removed money intended to address major infrastructure and climate needs in Indigenous communities. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act killed many funding streams created by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. DOGE eliminated another $468 million from Indian Country.

The affected work included climate resiliency plans, renewable energy systems, jobs programs, agriculture projects, and environmental and natural-resource efforts. Kotzebue lost a $20 million EPA grant for a wind project. The Hopi Tribe lost a $25 million solar grant, along with the broader $7 billion Solar for All program.

These cancellations leave projects paused or abandoned while communities still face high energy costs and climate risks. Brookings researchers say Congress should protect tribal grants from political reversals, making funding more consistent with federal trust and treaty obligations.

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is the federal entity identified in the article as removing funding from Indian Country. The article places its actions within a broader pattern of federal funding rollbacks and underinvestment affecting Indigenous communities.

DOGE eliminated $468 million in tribal funding. About half went to environmental and natural-resource projects, while another 11 percent targeted agriculture. The affected work included climate resilience plans, renewable energy projects, and jobs programs.

The cuts matter because tribes are dealing with infrastructure gaps, climate-driven disasters, and high energy costs. The article contrasts the cuts with more than $700 million in climate, energy, and infrastructure funding provided to tribes after the pandemic. Brookings researchers say Congress should ensure tribal funding cannot be canceled with changing political priorities.

The scale was unusually large compared with the funding Indigenous communities typically receive. After the pandemic, more than $700 million went to tribal climate, energy, and infrastructure projects. The cancellations also included the entire $7 billion Solar for All program and a $25 million solar grant for the Hopi Tribe.

DOGE separately eliminated $468 million from Indian Country. About half of that amount was allocated for environmental and natural-resource projects. Another 11 percent targeted agriculture. These funds supported climate plans, renewable energy, jobs programs, and other infrastructure work.

The figures show that the cuts affected both large national programs and individual tribal projects. Brookings researchers describe historic post-pandemic investment as an aberration against a longer pattern of underinvestment. They recommend legislation that protects tribal funding from political changes.

A canceled renewable project leaves a community dependent on the expensive fuel system it was meant to replace. Kotzebue relies on diesel for 75 percent of its power, and residents spend about 20 percent of their income buying it. That is more than three times the national average energy burden for low-income households.

The community had a $20 million EPA grant for a wind project. Nordlum said it could have reduced diesel dependence to roughly 40 percent to 50 percent. Instead, the Trump administration canceled the grant in May 2025, and the project remains paused more than a year later.

Kotzebue therefore remains exposed to world diesel prices and supply limits. Ice blocks freight barges for most of the year, leaving only a three-month delivery window. The canceled project also delays greater local control over energy and economic decisions.

Indigenous communities are especially vulnerable because climate dangers combine with longstanding infrastructure shortages. The article points to increasingly frequent and destructive storms, wildfires, and other climate-driven disasters. Brookings researchers say years of underinvestment make these threats harder to manage.

Kotzebue shows how location can intensify energy costs. The city sits on a gravel spit near the Arctic Circle and can be reached only by air and sea. Ice blocks freight barges for most of the year, so the community has just three months to receive the diesel needed for the following year.

That dependence creates a heavy financial burden. Diesel supplies 75 percent of Kotzebue’s power, while residents spend about 20 percent of their income on it. Renewable funding could address both climate exposure and energy costs, but many tribal projects were canceled or paused.

Renewable energy can replace part of a tribe’s dependence on fuel bought from outside markets. That matters in remote communities where transportation is difficult and diesel prices can rise sharply. Producing energy locally can make costs and supplies more manageable.

Kotzebue’s proposed wind project illustrates the mechanism. A $20 million EPA grant would have supported the project. Chad Nordlum said it could have reduced the city’s diesel reliance from 75 percent to about 40 percent to 50 percent. The project would also have given the tribe more control over energy and economic decisions.

That control connects renewable energy with tribal sovereignty. It can help communities make decisions around their own infrastructure, jobs, and economic priorities. The project remains paused after its grant was canceled, showing how funding reversals can delay both energy security and local decision-making.

In the article, tribal sovereignty is tied to tribes’ ability to control decisions affecting their energy, economies, infrastructure, and communities. Funding renewable projects supports that authority and the well-being of tribal citizens. It is not presented as a racial or diversity-based program.

The federal government’s trust and treaty obligations come from treaties and other agreements with tribes. Rob Maxim says funding for Indigenous communities should therefore be standard and irrevocable. The article connects these obligations to support for tribal sovereignty and community well-being.

These principles shape funding because political changes can otherwise interrupt essential projects. The cancellation of Kotzebue’s wind grant and the Hopi Tribe’s solar grant shows the consequence. Brookings researchers recommend legislation that protects tribal funding, regardless of political winds, while addressing persistent underinvestment.