NCUIH Joins NIHB, NCAI and Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium in Requesting the Indian Health System be Exempt from Federal Hiring Freezes

On January 31, 2025, the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) joined the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Acting Secretary, Dr. Dorothy Fink, regarding a memorandum issued by President Donald Trump instituting a federal civilian employee hiring freeze. The letter requests an exemption for the Indian Health Service (IHS) from any plans, policies, or incentives that seek to decrease its workforce because IHS is the principal health care provider for American Indian and Alaska Native people and is essential in fulfilling the United States legal and trust obligation to provide health care to American Indian and Alaska Native people. The letter also states that exempting IHS from the federal civilian position hiring freeze is critically necessary to protect public safety.

Read the full letter here.

Background on the Hiring Freeze

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum ordering a hiring freeze for federal civilian positions. The hiring freeze is not inclusive of military personnel. It also does not apply to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety. The memorandum states that “nothing in this memorandum shall adversely impact the provision of Social Security, Medicare, or Veterans’ benefits.” The memorandum also instructs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service, to “submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition.”

NCUIH will continue to monitor any developments.