- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate passed on Saturday President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan Act, after a marathon session. The bill will go back to the U.S. House of Representatives for a final vote next week. Once the House passes the legilsation it will be sent to President Biden for his signature to turn it into law.
The bill provides $1,400 checks to individual Americans who earn up to $75,000 annually or $150,000 per couple.
The final vote was 50-49 with all Republicans voting no for the legislation. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) was absent.
For tribal nations, Democratic senators worked hard to secure more than $31.2 billion in dedicated funding for tribal governments and Native communities, comprising the largest investment in history for Native programs. The new funding will deliver immediate relief for hard-hit Native American families and support Tribal Nations as they build a bridge toward economic recovery.
“Native communities need relief. We listened and we took action. With more than $31 billion for Tribal governments and Native programs, the American Rescue Plan delivers the largest one-time investment to Native communities in history,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and member of the Senate Appropriations Committee said after Saturday's vote. “This historic funding is a down payment on the federal government’s trust responsibility to Native communities and will empower American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians to tackle COVID-19’s impacts on their communities.”
The $31.2 billion investment in Native communities includes:
$20 billion for Tribal governments to combat COVID-19 and stabilize tribal community safety-net programs through Treasury’s State/Local “Coronavirus Relief Fund”
$6+ billion for Native health systems
- Indian Health Service
o $2.340 billion for COVID-19 vaccines, testing, tracing, mitigation, and workforce expenses
o $2 billion for lost third-party medical billing reimbursements
o $600 million for health facilities construction and sanitation programs
o $500 million for clinical health services and Purchased/Referred Care
o $420 million for mental and behavioral health
o $140 million for improving health IT and telehealth access
o $84 million for Urban Indian health programs
o $10 million for potable water delivery
- Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems
o $20 million set-aside for Papa Ola Lōkahi and the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems within the Community Health Centers funding at the Health Resources and Services Administration
$1.248 billion for HUD Tribal & Native Hawaiian housing programs
- $498 million Tribal set-aside within Treasury’s Homeowners Assistance Program for Tribes and Native housing programs
- $450 million for the Indian Housing Block Grant
- $280 million for the Indian Community Development Block Grant
- $15 million for technical assistance, administrative costs, and oversight
- $5 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant
$1.1+ billion for Native education programs, including Bureau of Indian Education schools, Tribal education agencies, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native Hawaiian education programs, and Alaska Native education programs
- $850 million for Bureau of Indian (BIE) education programs, BIE K-12 schools & dormitories, and Tribal Colleges and Universities
- $190 million for Department of Education grants to Tribal Education Agencies, Native Hawaiian education organizations, and Alaska Native education organizations
- $142+ million for Tribal Colleges and Universities through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
- $89+ million for Native-serving institutions of higher education, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
$1+ billion for Native families
- $1+ billion for Tribal child care programs and supports
- $75 million for Tribal TANF grantees to provide assistance to families in need through the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund
$900 million for Bureau of Indian Affairs programs
- $772.5 million for Tribal government services (i.e., general welfare assistance, assistance to Tribal governments, public safety, child welfare)
- $100 million for the Housing Improvement Program
- $20 million for potable water delivery
- $7.5 million for administrative costs and oversight
$600 million for Native communities’ critical economic and infrastructure investments
- $500 million for Tribal governments to support capital investments in Native businesses within Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative
- $100 million for critical infrastructure projects in Native communities
$20 million to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on Native languages
- $20 million for a new emergency Native language preservation & maintenance grant program through the Administration for Native Americans to mitigate impacts of COVID-19 on Native language communities
$19 million for Native communities’ efforts to combat domestic violence
- $18 million for Tribal awardees through the Family Violence Prevention & Services Act
- $1 million for “Stronghearts” Native Domestic Violence Hotline
More Stories Like This
Assemblyman Ramos Honored with Award for Long Service to California Native American CommissionNavajo Nation Council Members Meet with US Treasurer Malerba
Tunica-Biloxi Tribe Chairman Marshall Pierite Launches Bid to Become NCAI President
"The Road to Healing" Albuquerque Stop Postponed Due to Threat of Federal Government Shutdown
Events Commemorating Orange Shirt Day 2023
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
