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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — Representative Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sounded off against the Trump Administration's treatment of tribes in a Washington Post opinion piece titled "The federal government fiddles as covid-19 ravages Native Americans."
The opinion piece, published on Tuesday, calls out the White House for initially fighting against direct aid to the nations 574 federally recognized tribes and also takes to task the Treasury Dept. for its slow-footed distribution of $8 billion in approved relief funds to tribal governments. Haaland is one of four American Indians who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Haaland and Warren write: "For generations, the federal government has failed to honor its promises to Native American people. Now, covid-19 is ravaging Native communities, killing young people and elders alike, and devastating tribal economies. We are fighting in Congress to ensure that sovereign Native nations have the resources needed to protect the health and well-being of their citizens during this pandemic. The novel coronavirus’s terrible impact in Indian Country underscores that the federal government must live up to its unique legal and moral obligations to Native nations and act as a partner to help build security and resiliency for the future."
For the entire opinion piece, click here.
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