Photo: Praying students of Haskell Indian University one of the institutions affected by Trump funding cuts.(taken by Jessica Meulendyke, Communications Coordinator, Lutheran Indian Ministries, Wikimedia Commons)
Three Tribal Nations (Pueblo of Isleta, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes) alongside five affected Native students (Ella Bowen, Kaiya Brown, Danielle Ledesma, Victor Organista, and Aiyanna Tanyan) have sued the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and Office of Indian Affairs over severe staff cuts at the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and its schools, Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute.
The lawsuit, filed by the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), argues that these reductions — triggered by a February 2025 executive order from President Trump — were made without legally required Tribal consultation and have devastated school operations. Students and leaders report unfilled teaching positions, power outages, unsafe dorm conditions, and critical support services being slashed. While some rehiring has occurred, advocates insist it is not nearly enough to meet the government’s legal and treaty obligations to Native education.
