Tribal governments were supposed to get $8 billion in direct emergency relief from the CARES Act, the $2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill that became law on March 27. Part of the reason is that the Treasury Department, which is charged with distributing that money, has been flailing in its dealings with tribes. Another reason stems from a lawsuit over whether Alaska Native Corporations are entitled to the money. Bill Clark via Getty Images Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), one of two historic Native American women in Congress, is urging the Treasury Department to hurry up and get emergency COVID-19 relief to tribes. In a Wednesday letter, House Democrats pressed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to distribute the money now because lives are at stake.

Source: Huffington Post April 29, 2020 22:52 UTC