The Navajo Nation must decide how to spend more than $714 million in federal virus relief money. And they must do it quickly to meet a deadline that also requires state and local governments to spend the money on emergency needs.
Dorothy Scott lost her husband and son to the virus, and eight of her 11 family members have tested positive, with several being hospitalized.FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- As the coronavirus ripped through the Navajo Nation, it spotlighted longstanding inequities on the reservation where thousands of tribal members travel long distances for medical care, internet service is spotty at best and many homes lack electricity and even running water.
The dilemma on the Navajo Nation isn't unique in Indian Country. Tribes are wrestling with competing needs, restrictive laws and inadequate staffing to deal with the financial windfalls on a tight deadline amid the debilitating pandemic. They must meet strict federal guidelines on the spending or risk having to send the money back.
Kanazbah Crotty said tribal officials also must consider how they can speed up projects by waiving Navajo laws and taking other actions. Councilman Michael Langley of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon said the pandemic and the tribal budget are inseparable. The tribe has continued paying the wages of its casino employees, and it provides law enforcement services outside its reservation, he said.
The Osage Nation in Oklahoma received nearly $45 million and will direct some of it to ensuring a food supply by investing in a meat-packing plant, farms and ranches. Tribal members have few nearby options to buy food, and meat prices have soared amid the pandemic, tribal officials said.
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