NAHASDA Modernization Act Reported Out of Senate Indian Affairs Committee Without Objection

By Lucas Eisenberg, NLIHC Policy Intern 

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs favorably reported the “Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination (NAHASDA) Modernization Act of 2026” out of committee on September 23. The “NAHASDA Modernization Act” is a significant piece of legislation addressing Native housing needs and now moves to a vote in the full Senate. NLIHC urges Congress to reauthorize NAHASDA (see Memo, 5/4) and joined a letter in March led by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) expressing the need for action. 

NAHASDA first passed Congress in 1996, creating multiple development financing programs to aid Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) and Indian or Alaskan Native Tribal governments. NAHASDA later expanded in 2000 to aid Native Hawaiian entities. Grants from NAHASDA are distributed through the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program formula.  IHBG funding can finance a range of housing-related investments, such as construction, rehabilitation, and acquisition. Additionally, the Title VI loan guarantee program aids Tribes and TDHEs with access to capital, which is crucial for larger housing developments. Per testimony from the committee’s hearing on September 16 (see Memo, 9/21), these programs have provided and rehabilitated over 160,000 homes for Tribal communities. NAHASDA provides affordable housing to low-income, homeless, and veteran Native families, and in many cases, is the only source of this aid for rural and remote Native communities. 

While NAHASDA’s authorization lapsed in 2013, Congress continues to fund these programs. However, inefficiencies hinder TDHEs’ ability to serve their communities. The “NAHASDA Modernization Act” updates the programs to fit modern-day Tribal housing needs and meets the standard of investment set by the “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act” (see Memo, 7/13) to strengthen Native communities. The legislation reauthorizes the programs from 2027 through 2033 and includes a host of provisions that update programs fit for modern-day financial and regulatory needs. See NLIHC’s fact sheet to understand the impact of NAHASDA and the need for reauthorization. 

At Wednesday’s committee business meeting, the “NAHASDA Modernization Act” passed without objection. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and co-lead on the bill with Vice Chair Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), introduced an amendment that reported favorably with the legislation. The amendment raises NAHASDA’s $5,000 de minimis threshold to $22,000 and allows HUD to raise this number for good cause, exempting a wider range of grants to TDHEs from bonding requirements. 

Read the “NAHASDA Modernization Act of 2026.” 

Listen to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee’s Business Meeting. 

Read NLIHC’s NAHASDA Fact Sheet. 

Read NCAI’s letter. 

Read “Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Housing Programs” from NLIHC’s 2026 Advocates’ Guide to learn more about NAHASDA’s history.