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What does the do?

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The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a subdivision of the Department of the Interior responsible for providing quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with a tribe's needs for cultural and economic well-being. It was established in 2006.

In FY 2024,

$691M

was spent by the Bureau of Indian Education
In FY 2024,

4.0%

of Dept. of the Interior spending was by the Bureau of Indian Education

How much does the Bureau of Indian Education spend?

The Bureau of Indian Education spent a net total of $690.5 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 4% of the $17.1 billion spent by the Department of the Interior, which itself was 0.3% of all federal spending. The BIE ranked 10th among DOI subdivisions in net spending.
Net spending is the difference between agency spending and any financial accounts generating funds from the agency’s own activities, like fees or rent. When these funds offset all spending, net spending appears negative. Some agencies tend to operate with positive net spending while others will register negative net spending sometimes or often.

The Bureau of Indian Education ranked 10th among Department of the Interior divisions in net spending in 2024.

DOI net spending by division, FY 2024

Like the overall federal budget, agency spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Bureau of Indian Education’s federal spending has decreased from $706.5 million in 2020 to $690.5 million in 2024.

The Bureau of Indian Education’s federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 2020.

Yearly federal net spending by BIE, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars), FYs 2020–2024

Since 2020, Bureau of Indian Education's spending has decreased 2.3%, while overall spending has decreased 14.7%.
As a percentage of the overall federal budget, a positive number means agency net spending made up some positive share of total federal spending; a negative number means that net generated funds offset a portion of total spending. BIE spending grew more than overall federal spending since 2020, which means that its share of the federal budget increased. In 2024, BIE accounted for 0.01% of overall federal spending.

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Major legislation, internal or global economic conditions, and acute events like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect spending year to year. For example, the federal budget fluctuated during the pandemic, rising from $5.3 trillion (in 2023 dollars) in 2019 to $7.7 trillion in 2020 and $7.8 trillion in 2021.

The Bureau of Indian Education’s share of federal spending in FY 2024 was higher than in FY 2020.

Net spending by BIE as a share of federal spending, FYs 2020–2024

Most federal spending can be categorized as direct or indirect. Direct spending refers to money the federal government spends on budget items such as federal programs, employee salaries, and debt interest. Indirect spending refers to federal transfers to state and local governments.
In FY 2024, the Bureau of Indian Education transferred 9.2% of its total spending to states and local governments.
The chart below outlines all net BIE spending.

How did the Bureau of Indian Education spend its budget in 2024?

Federal government net spending isolated to BIE, FY 2024

Who leads the Bureau of Indian Education?

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is led by a Director. This individual is appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. The BIE director reports to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. There is no fixed term for this position.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.

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