WASHINGTON —  In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.

Trump FY 2027 Budget Proposes Eliminating Funding for Institute of American Indian Arts

The Trump administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget proposal, released Friday, April 3, 2026, calls for the elimination of federal operating funding for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), drawing sharp opposition from the institution’s leadership.

IAIA’s Board of Trustees and administration condemned the proposal as reckless and inconsistent with the federal government’s treaty obligations, trust responsibility, and longstanding commitment to American Indian and Alaska Native higher education.

If enacted, the proposal would cut IAIA’s annual federal appropriation from $13.482 million to zero beginning in the next funding cycle. Leaders say the loss would severely impact the school’s ability to maintain academic programs, student support services, and daily operations—placing at risk an institution that has served as an international center for contemporary Indigenous arts and cultural leadership for more than 60 years.

“IAIA exists because Native artists, Native communities, and Congress recognized that Indigenous creativity and cultural knowledge are vital to this country,” said IAIA President Dr. Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “Eliminating IAIA’s federal appropriation will weaken educational opportunity, threaten the development of future Indigenous artists and leaders, and severely undermine a mission that Congress has supported for decades. We urge Congress to reject this proposal and support IAIA in FY 2027 at $14.1 million.”

OSHA to Host April 8 Webinar to Support 2026 Safety Stand-Down Efforts

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is hosting an April 8 webinar aimed at helping employers across all industries participate in the 2026 Safety Stand-Down.

The session will provide guidance for employers planning events tied to the 20th annual Georgia Struck-by Alliance Safety Stand-Down, held each year during National Work Zone Awareness Week. During these events, employers are encouraged to pause work and focus on preventing serious injuries and fatalities through training, education, and demonstrations of safe workplace practices.

OSHA staff will share free compliance assistance resources, information about consultation services, and details on the agency’s Safety Champions Program. The webinar will also offer practical ideas for organizing stand-down events and explain how employers can register their activities to receive a workplace safety certificate.

The agency recommends employers host safety stand-downs during nationally recognized observances such as National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 20–24) and Workers Memorial Day (April 20–24).

Related

About an hour before D.C.’s youth curfew kicked in Friday evening, in a neighborhood just added to the list of curfew zones for this holiday weekend, a huge brawl broke out, and a teenager was arrested for brandishing a knife, police said.

Dozens of teenagers got involved in the fight near the Banneker Rec Center in Northwest – one of five high-traffic areas where people under 18 are not allowed to gather in groups of nine or more in public or in businesses after 8 p.m. this weekend.

One of the teens waved a knife around but didn’t hurt anyone, police said. He was injured, however, and taken by ambulance to a hospital where he was in police custody Friday evening.

Not an hour later, at the other end of the same curfew area, dozens of young people gathered together in and around the McDonald’s restaurant. Police told them if they were under 18, they were not allowed to gather there in groups. Eventually, they complied and left the area.

D.C.’s chief of police and mayor have said youth curfew zones prevent teens from swarming nightlife areas, causing trouble and sometimes violence. Mayor Muriel Bowser wanted the D.C. Council to extend the chief’s authority to establish the zones for another three months, but it voted this week to delay that vote until the current order expires April 15.

“It was a decision by the Council as a whole,” Bowser said earlier this week. “The chairman moved for postponement, and all of the councilmembers agreed. And that is, in essence, killing the youth curfew.”
“So, the Council will say, Oh, we drove crime down, so let’s start going back to soft-on-crime policies,” the mayor said.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson worries the mayor’s remarks will be used by Republicans who want to overturn home rule in the District or to encourage President Donald Trump to federalize the police department again.

“The mayor’s remarks can be used as ammunition against a District by Republicans in Congress who’ve done that before,” he said. “That’s a problem. And the mayor’s remarks can offend some councilmembers, and we need those councilmembers to get to yes.”

This weekend, the chief designated youth curfews in four other neighborhoods, as well: Navy Yard, U Street corridor, Chinatown and the Southwest Waterfront.

The citywide curfew starts at 11 p.m.