The federal government’s fiscal year ends at midnight Sept. 30, meaning the government will shut down and dozens of services to tribal nations will be cut off if a new spending deal isn’t reached in Congress.

A shutdown is something tribes can’t afford. Tribal nations and communities depend on hundreds of thousands of government personnel and programs for roads, tribal police, energy, health care, food and other programs.

“We’re at a point now where the government is going to shut down,” said Michael Stopp, Cherokee and Muscogee and the president and chief executive officer of Seven Star Holdings. “The question is, how long is that going to happen and which side is going to blink?”

During a shutdown, certain functions and personnel can be deemed essential and continue to operate during

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