Minority Congressional members press CDC, FEMA to Deliver Funds, Services to Indian Country immediately

Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus Deb Haaland (NM-01)

ALBUQUERQUE – In a letter to the CDC and FEMA, Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus Deb Haaland (NM-01) and Chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States Ruben Gallego (Ariz.-07) pressed for services and funds be delivered to Indian Country immediately. The letter comes after several Tribes and organizations raised concerns about delays and lack of consultation from both agencies occurred amidst the national public health emergency.

In their letter, which was delivered to the agencies Wednesday, Haaland and Gallego write, “We have been made aware of tribal FEMA requests for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other critical mission assignments that have gone unanswered, unprocessed, or been denied by FEMA…We find this extremely concerning especially in rural tribal communities in Arizona and New Mexico where many lack access to running water and where contact tracing teams are essential to prevent further outbreak.

“Of further concern are the severe delays in administering CDC funding that Congress specifically directed for allocation to Tribes, urban Indian organizations, and tribal health providers in the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074), signed into law on March 6, 2020.”

The congressional leaders noted that this funding was passed more than two months ago and it still remains unclear how many tribes have received the resources that Congress specifically allocated to tribal governments struggling to address the pandemic.

Visit Original Source