Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/20-543_3e04.pdf
Page Number: 20

Cite as:  594 U. S. ____ (2021) 

17 

Opinion of the Court 

tribe” with the Secretary’s list, but ignore why ANCs were 
excluded from that list in the first place.  The Court declines 
to take that doubtful step.

Despite asking the Court to consider post-ISDA statutes
to  determine  whether  ANCs  are  “Indian  tribes”  under 
ISDA,  moreover,  respondents  largely  fail  to  address  post-
ISDA  congressional  actions  that  contradict  their  position.
First,  consider  Congress’  treatment  of  the  Cook  Inlet  Re-
gion, Inc. (CIRI), the regional ANC for the ANCSA region
covering more than half the Alaskan population.  See The 
Twelve  Regions,  ANCSA  Regional  Association  (June  1, 
2021),  https://ancsaregional.com/the-twelve-regions. 
In 
1994, CIRI contracted under ISDA through its designated 
healthcare  provider  to  offer  healthcare  benefits  to  Alaska
Natives  and  American  Indians  in  Anchorage  and  the 
Matanuska-Susitna Valley.  See Cook Inlet Treaty Tribes v. 
Shalala, 166 F. 3d 986, 988 (CA9 1999).  A group of Alaska
Native villages sued, arguing that the Federal Government 
should  have  first  obtained  their  approval.  Ibid.;  see  25 
U. S. C. §5304(l) (“[I]n any case where [an ISDA contract]
benefit[s] more than one Indian tribe, the approval of each
such Indian tribe” is required).  Congress mooted the dis-
pute by passing a bill that waived ISDA’s normal tribal ap-
proval  requirement  for  CIRI’s  healthcare  contracts.  De-
Interior  and  Related  Agencies
partment  of 
Appropriations Act, 1998, §325(a), 111 Stat. 1597–1598.  In 
so doing, Congress not only assumed CIRI was eligible to
enter into ISDA contracts (notwithstanding its lack of fed-
eral recognition), but actively cleared the way for it to do so. 
Next, consider the Native American Housing Assistance 
and  Self-Determination  Act  of  1996  (NAHASDA),  25 
U. S. C.  §4101  et  seq.,  which  incorporates  ISDA’s  “Indian 
tribe”  definition,  see  §4103(13)(B).  NAHASDA  creates  a 
housing block grant program for Indian tribes.  §4111.  The 
regional  ANCs  (acting  through  their  designated  housing 
authorities)  are  among  the  largest  recipients  of  these 

the