- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
PHOENIX — Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee, said he will increase funding for the Indian Health Service if elected.
He made his pledge in a written statement shared with The Arizona Republic.
In the statement, he criticized “President Donald Trump and his administration for delaying the first installment of coronavirus financial aid to Native Americans, who sued the administration to block it from giving some of the money to for-profit corporations operated by Native Americans,” the newspaper reported.
"The Navajo Nation has the highest rate of coronavirus infections in the United States,” Biden said. “Donald Trump has failed to live up to our trust and treaty obligations to Native Americans. He took more than a month to allocate Congress’ emergency funding to tribes — and only did so after tribes sued. He has failed to provide tribes with adequate protective personal equipment and medical supplies. It’s unacceptable.
"As President, I’ll make meaningful investments in Indian Country — including dramatically increasing funding for Indian Health Services and making it mandatory.”
Biden also stated his commitment to tribal sovereignty.
Click to read the entire article.
More Stories Like This
Chilocco Part 3: Life, Legacy, and HeritageNative News Weekly (8/01/21): D.C. Briefs
Chilocco Part 2: Medals of Honor, the '55 Tornado, and "Misguided" Beginnings
Native News Weekly: Our Top Stories
Chilocco Part 1: Alumni Fondly Recall School Days
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
