Navajo Nation v. Department of Health & Human Services, Secretary

OPINION

McKEOWN, Circuit Judge.

This appeal focuses on the interplay between two federal statutes: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF”) and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (“ISDEAA”). The specific question we address is whether an Indian tribe may administer TANF, a welfare grant program, through a self-determination contract under the IS-DEAA. Like the district court, we conclude that TANF does not qualify as a contractable program under the ISDEAA.

BackgrouNd

Until recently, the federal government played a dominant role in administering welfare. Although…