Early retirements and funding cuts strain Indian Health Service workforce

More than 1,000 Indian Health Service employees accepted early retirement offers in early 2025, leaving the department struggling to fill vacant positions, according to ICT.

National Indian Health Board Chief Executive Officer A.G. Locklear, Lumbee, told the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Oct. 29 that IHS faces its lowest offer acceptance rate in history and a 30% overall vacancy rate. Locklear said hiring freezes have further reduced the workforce tribes rely on for grant management and technical assistance.

The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal outlines cuts to multiple tribal health programs and creates a new agency, the Administration for Healthy America, within the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee programs previously managed by IHS, according to the National Indian Health Board.