State lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution earlier this week in support of Alaska Native Corporations’ participation in a federal contracting program. The show of support came amid increased scrutiny over the program and growing concerns from Native contractors about its slowdown.
The 8(a) Business Development Program falls under the U.S. Small Business Administration and allows disadvantaged individuals, tribes and Alaska Native Corporations to compete for federal contracts. Federal contracts are often the primary source of revenue for Alaska Native corporations, helping pay dividends to shareholders and supporting services in their communities.
Haven Harris, the senior vice president of growth and strategy at Bering Straits Native Corporation, said in an interview those contracts are crucial for his organization.
“We were able to give out a record dividend last year,” he said. “We gave out our first special dividend ever just a month ago, and it's all because of the benefits of federal contracting for us.”
Over the past year, several federal agencies have started audits of the 8(a) program, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called it “the oldest DEI program in the federal government.” The government has been also working on deregulating contracting, and the Small Business Administration has scaled back their contracting goals reserved for the businesses in the program.
The Legislature’s resolution urges the federal government to preserve the unique status of tribal entities within the program. Rep. Maxine Dibert, who co-chairs the House Resources Committee, described the 8(a) program as a “strong economic driver.”
“In a time of financial uncertainty for our state, it is important to protect this program that provides billions of dollars in revenue, produces thousands of jobs, and millions of dollars in scholarships to help grow our next generation of Alaskan workers,” she wrote in an email.
Harris, of the Bering Straits Native Corporation, is also a board co-chair of the Native American Contractors Association. He said Native contractors across the state and country are concerned that the government is awarding fewer contracts and has not been accepting new applications into the program.
No new businesses have been accepted into the program since August of last year, Harris said. Back in 2024, a record 600 new applications were approved, and before that the average was more than 300, he said. Last year, only 65 were approved.
“Because we've had such a barrage of change, we really had to take a different approach, where we're spending more time trying to engage the administration and to a degree that we've never done before,” he said.
The Native American Contractors Association and about 50 other Native organizations – many of them from Alaska – signed a letter to the federal government earlier this month asking it to resume a timely review of applications.
“The gist of the letter was essentially to ask the SBA to really come and sit at the table with us,” Harris said. “And then, more specifically, we'd like more information on why the SBA has not approved an 8(a) application since about Aug. 15 of 2025, which is an unprecedented length.”
Along with the Legislature’s joint resolution, Alaska's congressional delegation and Gov. Mike Dunleavy have all signaled their support for Alaska Native participation in the program.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Regional Association, which represents local Native corporations, helped move the resolution forward. Its president, Nicole Borromeo, said she is glad to see such broad recognition of the program and is optimistic about its future.
“We believe that once our federal partners and the administration understands the efficiency tool that they have in the 8(a) program, and the good work that we have done, the value to taxpayers and the war fighters as well, that we will be back to the cadence that we’ve become used to,” she said.
