Native American Leaders Furious Over Trump's Tribal Education Shakeup

Tribal education programs caught in limbo between federal agencies as Department of Education dismantles oversight.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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The Trump administration's moves to dismantle the Department of Education have left Native American leaders feeling frustrated and unheard, as several tribal education projects are caught in limbo between federal agencies. Tribal leaders say they are seeking solutions to the lack of direction from the Department of Education as it tries to delegate responsibilities through new interagency agreements, and they are unsure about the logistics of existing projects.

Why it matters

Tribes are concerned about the future of their education programs under the MAGA-led Department of Education that wants states to have more power over education, particularly as many tribal nations are located in Republican-controlled states. Native American leaders say they are increasingly concerned the agency is willing to violate its trust and treaty responsibilities to tribes in order to achieve its goals.

The details

The Department of Education announced in November that it would move several tribal education projects to the Department of the Interior and the Department of Labor, spanning matters from teacher professional development to college grants. Tribal leaders say they were not properly consulted about these changes, and the agency officials who attended a recent consultation meeting gave the impression the decisions had already been made.

  • In November 2026, the Department of Education announced it would move tribal education projects to other agencies.
  • In February 2026, the Department of Education held a consultation meeting with tribal leaders about the changes.

The players

Jake Keyes

Chair of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

Aaron Payment

Board member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan.

Derrick W. Leslie

Education director of the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona.

Carrie F. Whitlow

Executive director of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Department of Education of Oklahoma.

Linda McMahon

Secretary of Education.

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What they’re saying

“In reality, we also need to be thinking about if this is going to happen, and it looks like it's happening, then how can we step in to make sure that the transition goes the way that we would have recommended had we been consulted in the first place?”

— Jake Keyes, Chair of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma (yourokmulgee.com)

“We have a preeminent right to education because of the treaties. The treaties exchanged two billion acres of land in exchange for the promise of health, education and social welfare. My tribe ceded 14 million acres of land for the promise of health, education and social welfare. That's a federal responsibility, and that's a federal constitutional right for American Indians.”

— Aaron Payment, Board member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan (yourokmulgee.com)

“I feel like they were just checking a box to say that they met with tribes and they listened to tribes, but that the plan is already in motion.”

— Derrick W. Leslie, Education director of the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona (yourokmulgee.com)

What’s next

The agencies are continuing the formal consultation process with tribes to discuss the transfer of education programs to new federal departments.

The takeaway

This situation highlights the ongoing tensions between the federal government and Native American tribes over education policy, as well as concerns that the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education could undermine tribal sovereignty and treaty rights when it comes to providing quality education for Native students.