WINDOW ROCK – Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed Resolution CS-51-26 on Sept. 28 into law securing funding for essential government operations and services while calling on the Navajo Nation Council to act quickly to address remaining funding needs within the Executive Branch.
The measure appropriates $585,064,035 for the Navajo Nation’s FY 2027 operating budget, which begins Oct. 1. For the first time during his administration, President Nygren chose not to exercise his line-item veto authority on the annual Comprehensive Budget.
“Today, I signed the Fiscal Year 2027 Comprehensive Budget into law without exercising my line-item veto authority,” President Nygren said. “The Council ultimately delivered a respectable budget that allows our government to continue operating and our programs to continue serving the Navajo people. I commend the Council delegates who worked through their differences to get us to this point.”
The enacted FY2027 Budget allocates $494,573,684 to the Executive Branch, $20,282,990 to the Legislative Branch, $19,558,115 to the Judicial Branch, and $50,649,246 for fixed costs.
The FY2027 budget also includes $83.3 million in statutory set-asides, including $36.18 million for the Navajo Nation Permanent Fund, $19 million for the Diné Higher Education Grant Fund, $12.06 million for veterans assistance and housing trust funds, $6.03 million for the Navajo Nation Land Acquisition Trust Fund, $6.03 million for the Navajo Nation Remediation Fund, and $2 million each for the Capital Outlay Match Fund and Navajo Nation Water Rights Claims Fund.
The budget also prioritizes personnel. A total of $16.57 million from the Personnel Lapse Savings Account is allocated toward the ERP/HRMS annual subscription, employee step increases and bonus payments, and $7.996 million for occupied positions and fringe shortfalls identified through the unmet-needs process.
In addition to Department of Public Safety funding, $5 million was budgeted toward Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women initiatives and related victim services, data and search-and-rescue efforts. Funding includes $1.5 million for Northern Arizona Victim Witness Services through the Division for Children and Family Services; $1.5 million for Utah Navajo Health System through the Department of Health; $1 million for the Navajo Technical University Data Institute; $500,000 for the Navajo Police Department Missing and Murdered Unit; $300,000 for Office of the Prosecutor Victim Witness Advocates; and $200,000 for Four Corners K-9 Search and Rescue through emergency management.
The resolution identifies the importance of maintaining uninterrupted services including law enforcement, criminal investigations, emergency management, services for children and families, and Chapter operations among others.
However, President Nygren emphasized that signing the Comprehensive Budget does not resolve every funding issue facing Navajo Nation government. Several Executive Branch departments and programs still lack sufficient operating funds, and the President is asking the Council to convene as soon as possible to address those needs.
“We still need the Council to fund several Executive Branch Departments and Programs that lack operating funds,” President Nygren wrote. “In genuine good faith, I am asking that the Council to come back to the table and work with us to fully fund those operations. Together, we can ensure the Navajo people continue to receive the services they depend on.”
President Nygren also emphasized the importance of preparing Navajo Nation government for the upcoming transition.
“We need to ensure that the next administration that comes in is fully funded and has the resources they need to do the work they need to do,” President Nygren added.
The 25th Navajo Nation Council approved the Comprehensive Budget on Sept. 18 by a 17-4 vote.
