Navajo Nation Council approves a $585,074,258 budget for fiscal 2027

The 25th Navajo Nation Council approved a $585,074,258 comprehensive budget for fiscal 2027 on Friday, according to a release from the Office of the Speaker.

The budget gives the Navajo Nation government funding authority to continue operations and essential services beginning Oct. 1, 2026. The action followed a Sept. 9 vote on Legislation No. 0192-26, which failed by a vote of nine in favor and 10 opposed.

The budget allocates $494,573,684 to the Executive Branch Operating Budget. The Legislative Branch Operating Budget is set at $20,282,990 and the Judicial Branch Operating Budget at $19,558,115. It also provides $50,649,246 for fixed costs necessary to maintain government operations.

Statutory set-asides account for $83.3 million. The Navajo Nation Permanent Fund receives $36.1 million. The Diné Higher Education Grant Fund receives $19 million, and $12 million goes to the Veterans Assistance and Veterans Housing Trust Funds.

The budget also includes $16.5 million in Personnel Lapse Savings funding, with $7.9 million designated to address occupied positions and fringe shortfalls identified through the unmet needs report. An additional $8 million in projected General Fund revenue will support the Personnel Adjustment Vacancy Pool.

The services it carries include law enforcement, emergency management, fire protection, courts, probation, peacemaking, public health, elder services, food distribution, and services for children and families. Chapter operations also depend on continued funding to provide governmental and direct services at the local level.

Council Delegate Shaandiin Parrish, who sponsored the bill, called it "a measure that prioritized personnel, addressed unmet needs, and avoided layoffs of Navajo Nation employees," and credited the Budget and Finance Committee, which she chairs.

Speaker Crystalyne Curley said the Council "had a responsibility to ensure that the Navajo Nation government can continue serving our people," and that the budget provides the resources necessary to maintain essential services. The fiscal year will coincide with the 2026 Navajo Nation general election and governmental transition.

Legislation 0207-26 was approved by a vote of 17 in favor and four opposed. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has until Sept. 30 to consider the resolution once it is certified and delivered to the Office of the President and Vice President.