t] [Hear Gavin Newsom apologize on California’s behalf to native tribes for slaughters of ancestoNative American tribal governments, forced to lay off employees and increase expenses during the coronavirus pande mic, were promised $8 billion in funds by April 26 under a coronavirus relief law President Donald Trump signed.
The roughly 400 tribes splitting the money still haven’t received the aid.
They sued the U.S. Treasury Department last week and officials on Tuesday said they’d begin doling out the aid.
But the tribes aren’t dismissing the lawsuit until they get the money, according to Frankie Myers, vice chairman of the Yurok Tribe, the largest Native American tribe in California.
They still don’t know how much assistance each tribe will receive, or if it will be anywhere near enough, which Myers said has been a “huge problem for us.”
“There’s still a huge unmet need; I think we’re close to $1 million spent on COVID-19 efforts,” he added.
The Yurok Tribe is one of eight tribes that filed the federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in D.C., demanding the Treasury Department release the funds.
There was a complication over whether the funding would apply to certain tribes in Alaska. A federal judge ruled in April that the funding would not go to those tribes and ordered the Treasury Department to immediately distribute the funds on April 27.
The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment on why the aid has been delayed. In a press release Tuesday announcing officials would begin giving out the funds, the department said it would base funding on total population and how many members were directly employed by the tribal governments.
Other tribal governments that filed suit include the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, also in California, the Ak-Chin Indian Community in Arizona, the Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations in Oklahoma and the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe in Washington state.
The Yurok Tribe doesn’t know how many of its members have suffered coronavirus infections, because it hasn’t been able to perform any tests, according to Myers.
They have to leave the reservation in order to get tested, which is difficult for some members due to both health and economic factors. But Myers said anecdotally he knows deaths have increased.
“We know from our community that we have lost folks who have passed away,” Myers said. “I had an uncle pass away who was complaining of respiratory problems. Could it have been COVID-19? We’ll never know.”
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Even without confirmed positive cases, the Yurok Tribe has taken expensive precautionary measures.
It made about 125 of their 650 employees frontline workers to help on coronavirus-related problems, bought personal protective equipment for members, increased staff training and implemented protocols for members whose work is essential, such as those who work in salmon fisheries.
The tribe waived all rental and housing, WiFi and water fees. It has been providing free meals to elders.
Much of the Yurok Tribe’s funding comes from grants and has not declined. Nonetheless, Myers said it’s struggling with the new expenses and has laid off employees in areas like education and social services.
In a tribe of about 6,500 people where the median income is $11,000, Myers said this is particularly difficult.
“Often the individual working is the only job in the house,” Myers said. “We don’t lay off people, we lay off families.”
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