Thursday, October 2, 2025 – Bracing for the federal government shutdown grind

Payments to tribes for federal contracts, BIA law enforcement, food distribution to schools, and health care access could all be affected by the federal government shutdown. It also has a significant effect on the 30,000 Native American federal employees and members of the military who may not be furloughed, but will not receive paychecks until the shutdown is over. This is the second government shutdown in the past decade; the previous one was the longest on record. We’ll get the Native perspective on what’s potentially in store as the shutdown progresses. GUESTS Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), tribal councilman and former chairperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians A.C. Locklear (Lumbee), CEO of the National Indian Health Board Mike Stopp (Cherokee and Muscogee), president and CEO of SevenStar Holdings, LLC Sue Parton (Kiowa), President of the Federation of Indian Service Employees   Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album) Break 2 Music: Fancy Dance (Song) Yellow Hammer (artist) Yellow Hammer (album)