Navajo government stays open as veto fight leaves 28 legislative aides in limbo

WINDOW ROCK

Delegate Shaandiin Parrish, the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, sought to calm fears of a government shutdown as the tribe’s fiscal year winds to a close, saying most government employees will continue to be paid despite disputes over President Buu Nygren’s line-item vetoes.

Parrish stressed that the comprehensive budget passed by the Council earlier this month will keep most government employees on the job.

“The Navajo Nation Council passed the FY26 comprehensive budget with the Judicial, Legislative and Executive programs’ budgets, which included personnel and operating dollars,” Parrish said on Tuesday evening. “So what that means is tomorrow those personnel will be paid on October 1. The only personnel that are in limbo are the Legislative District Assistants. He did line-item veto them. So that’s the question to those 28 positions, because there’s no funding for them on October one.”

Nygren vetoed funding for 28 Legislative staff assistants and other Legislative operating dollars but left Executive Branch personnel intact. That, Parrish said, means government services will continue without interruption.

“There won’t be a government shutdown. The only positions that are impacted directly on October 1, 2025, is the Legislative district program and also the operating dollars for the Legislative Branch,” she said.

Parrish noted that the Council already reaffirmed its authority under Title 2 of Navajo law and a Supreme Court decision requiring all three branches to be funded. That resolution, 0222-25, sponsored by Delegate Andy Nez, puts the matter in the hands of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of the Controller.

“What we’re looking at is whether the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of the Controller will comply,” Parrish said.

Council points to Title 2, a court mandate as funding decisions move to OMB and controller

She also clarified that the situation is separate from the possible federal government shutdown in Washington, D.C., though some federal employees working with the tribe could be affected.

Delegates had hoped that passage of Delegate Casey Allan Johnson’s emergency bill, Resolution 0224-25, would resolve the dispute. Parrish said its outcome depends on Nygren’s approval, but emphasized the overall budget is not contingent on that legislation.

“If he doesn’t sign this legislation, he’s delaying the people’s right for new laws to be considered because he slashed the Office of Legislative Counsel’s budget,” Parrish said, referring to Nez’s Resolution 0222-25. “By even taking more than twenty-four hours to sign that legislation, he’s already depriving the people of new laws because we’re hindered by whatever his decision is.”

Parrish added that the Judicial Branch is also tied to the legislation.

“To what reason would a president keep that hostage? What is the benefit to the people?” she said.

She said that during the Sept. 25 special session, Nygren avoided questions from Council delegates.

“So that meeting, I don’t think that we broke bread. I think the questions were avoided by the Council,” Parrish said.

While the comprehensive budget has been signed, the Office of the President and Vice President is pushing for Johnson’s bill to be enacted. Nygren’s chief of staff, Kris Beecher, wrote in a text message Tuesday night corroborating Parrish’s clarification that tribal government business will go on as usual.

“The Navajo Nation Comprehensive Budget has been signed. The government will continue to function tomorrow however there are several programs and offices that need funding to fully operate. In the Executive Branch that includes Office of Public Defender and the Office of Navajo Labor Relations,” Beecher wrote.

But the future of 28 Legislative staffers and the broader work of the Legislative Branch depend on whether Nygren signs the pending resolution.

Washington’s shutdown threat is separate, but ripple effects could reach tribal programs

Meanwhile, the federal government faces its own shutdown. The White House Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday directed agencies to prepare for an orderly closure after Congress failed to agree on a temporary funding measure ahead of a midnight deadline.

In a Sept. 30 memorandum, OMB Director Russell T. Vought said funding under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025 would expire at 11:59 p.m. The House passed a stopgap bill on Sept. 19 to extend funding through Nov. 21, but it has stalled in the Senate.

Vought wrote that Democratic senators were blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate due to Democrats’ policy demands, “which include $1 trillion in new spending.”

He added that President Donald Trump supported the House bill, but with no deal in place, agencies must begin shutdown procedures.

The guidance instructs federal employees to report for their next scheduled shift to carry out shutdown activities, though the duration of the closure remains uncertain. OMB stated it will issue another memorandum once funding is restored.

The looming shutdown raises concerns for millions of federal workers and the public who depend on government services, many of which will be disrupted until Congress resolves the impasse.

Vince Redhouse, the executive director for the Navajo Nation Washington Office, told Council members the situation could have significant implications for Indian Country.

“President Trump would have a lot more power to decide which agencies to keep open. He potentially could defund entire agencies and fire entire agency staffs during a shutdown. So, it is a worrying moment, and so we will be working on that,” Redhouse said.

He added that his office is working closely with federal officials to protect tribal programs. He also told Council the office was working on a visit from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to the Navajo Nation to meet with schools and tribal leadership.

Redhouse said a date for her possible visit hasn’t been confirmed.

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