The Chipco Preserve Podcast

In this episode, we unpack what the President’s FY 2027 budget could mean for Indian Country. While the administration says it is honoring trust responsibilities and continuing support for tribal communities, the budget also proposes a significant reduction in overall Interior funding, raising serious questions about the future of programs tied to tribal law enforcement, education, and core services. We break down the Native-specific lines that matter most, including cuts to Indian Housing Block Grants, changes to Native community finance, reductions to the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, and the impact on cemetery grants that also serve tribal organizations. We also look at the mixed health picture, where Indian Health Service funding shows increases even as the broader budget points toward contraction. This episode explores what the numbers say, what they do not say, and why tribal leaders, Native organizations, and advocates should pay close attention before Congress begins rewriting the proposal.

In this episode, we examine the Supreme Court’s latest birthright citizenship argument through a Native American lens. What happens when the justices revisit the Fourteenth Amendment’s phrase “subject to the jurisdiction,” and how does that language connect to the long history of tribal sovereignty, Native citizenship, and federal power? We break down the April 1, 2026, argument in Trump v. Barbara, including the exchange in which Justice Gorsuch pressed the Trump administration on whether its theory would have excluded Native Americans from birthright citizenship under the original understanding of the Constitution. We also look at Justice Sotomayor’s defense of tribal nations as distinct political communities and Justice Barrett’s questions about whether Native citizenship history can fit inside a rigid originalist framework. This episode explores why a case framed around immigration also carries deep meaning in Indian Country and what it reveals about belonging, jurisdiction, and sovereignty in American law.

This is our first kinship tale in a storytime series.

Three big themes this week: tax parity for Tribal governments, infrastructure access tied to defense communities, and a VA benefits rule that whiplashed, then rescinded.

Gulf War Illness now has a diagnostic code, which may improve medical treatment and VA disability claims approval rates.

A brief description of legislative activity covering Native American, Veteran, Environmental, and Education issues.

This is a brief legislative update on the current continuing resolution and potential shutdown at the end of January 2026.

Does a boat landing equate to land ownership? Join us for a discussion on the Doctrine of Discovery, a recent comment by President Trump, the indigenous ownership of North America for millennia, and the Supreme Court Case Johnson v. McIntosh, 21 U.S. 543.

We outline major ecological achievements and scientific breakthroughs reported throughout 2025. This podcast highlights a significant reduction in Amazonian deforestation driven by stricter enforcement and Indigenous advocacy, alongside the continued recovery of the Giant Panda population. Technological and biological advancements are also showcased, specifically the creation of a CRISPR-developed "superfood" to stabilize struggling honeybee colonies. Additionally, the source details successful wildlife restoration through the reintroduction of beavers in California and the discovery of pristine ecosystems beneath Antarctic ice. Collectively, these accounts serve to inspire environmental optimism by demonstrating how policy, science, and conservation can mitigate the effects of climate change.