Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after bipartisan legislation she supported to lower housing costs for Tribal communities passed the Senate. The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) is the main source of federal funding to support Native American housing programs. This legislation will ensure we can continue to serve Tribal communities through 2032.
“We need to make sure Tribal members in Nevada can find a safe and affordable place to live in their own communities, and this legislation will make it easier to build and maintain Tribal housing across the country,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’ll continue to work to provide Tribal communities with funds to build more quality homes.”
NAHASDA was first signed into law in 1996 and has delivered billions in federal dollars to housing programs for Tribes and Native communities across the country. This bill provides Tribes with funds through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant and Title VI Loan Guarantee programs. This legislation will reauthorize these vital programs, increase efficiency and help build more safe and affordable housing.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a strong advocate on behalf of Tribes in Nevada and across the country. Understanding the importance of preserving Native heritage, she has worked to protect and support Tribal languages. The Senator has continuously highlighted the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW), and her legislation to combat this epidemic Not Invisible Act and Savanna’s Act, were signed into law.
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