
- Details
- By Lenzy Krehbiel Burton
TULSA, Okla. — A northeastern Oklahoma tribe’s lawsuit over federal COVID-19 assistance may be switching venues.
On Thursday, Treasury Department and Interior Department attorneys filed a request to have a lawsuit from the Shawnee Tribe moved from the Northern District of Oklahoma to the District Court for the District of Columbia and have it considered with litigation from other tribes regarding relief fund allocations awarded under the CARES Act.
The tribe filed suit in June after the Treasury Department announced that the Shawnee Tribe would receive $100,000 in relief funds through the CARES Act––the minimum amount available to small tribes. The relief fund states that only tribal governments with a population of less than 37 will receive the minimum payment.
Headquartered in Miami, Okla., the Shawnee Tribe has about 3,000 enrolled citizens. However, it does not participate in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant program, from which the Treasury Department pulled enrollment data to determine funding allocations.
According to the Shawnee Tribe’s complaint, the decision to rely on the HUD data set instead of the certified enrollment count provided to Treasury meant the allocation was based on inaccurate numbers and thus reduced the amount the tribe would be eligible to receive.
“The Shawnee Tribe does not need to go to Washington to tell defendants that their formula for distributing CARES Act funds was facially and materially flawed, nor does it need a Washington court to order defendants to preserve the funds needed to provide redress where this court has every availability to provide relief,” Shawnee attorney Greg Bigler wrote in a brief on June 22.
Additional briefs are due by July 23. A previous motion from the Shawnee Tribe for a temporary restraining order to prevent the Treasury Department from distributing CARES Act funds was denied in late June.
More Stories Like This
50 Years of Self-Determination: How a Landmark Act Empowered Tribal Sovereignty and Transformed Federal-Tribal RelationsMacArthur Foundation Launches Native Self-Determination Program, Pledges Expanded Support
In Runoff Triumph, David Sickey Elected Chairman of Coushatta Tribe
San Carlos Tribe Celebrates Temporary Victory in Federal Court to Save Oak Flat
LAND BACK: 47,097 Acres Returned to Yurok Tribe
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher