American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of tribal nations in Arizona and across the nation that are struggling to protect the health and welfare of their citizens.

As Chairman of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the U.S. last Congress, I heard from countless leaders about how this pandemic has impacted them. We heard their stories about the loss of elders, the challenges their children face trying to engage in distance learning without access to broadband internet, and the near total collapse of on-reservation economies that provide critical jobs for tribal members and funds for government services.

While the CARES Act funding passed last year for Tribes was a lifeline, it was not nearly enough to address the disparate impact of this pandemic on Indigenous people and communities across the country. That is why I fought so hard to ensure that Tribes would not be short- changed in further COVID-19 relief efforts and why I am so proud that House and Senate Democratic leadership has approved the largest one- time investment in Native communities in our history.

The American Rescue Plan includes more than $28 billion for tribal governments. This is a real, meaningful investment that will allow Native communities to respond to the wide-ranging effects of the virus on their communities and that will begin to address the shameful federal history of ignoring the needs of Native communities.

The package specifically includes $20 billion in direct relief for Tribal governments. Importantly, these funds will be able to be used more flexibly by Tribes than CARES Act relief dollars, enabling Tribes to help struggling businesses cover the cost of employees, develop 21st century infrastructure, and address the health and economic barriers that worsened the pandemic in Tribal nations. Additionally, many tribal communities have lost elders who are the keepers of their languages, history, and cultural teachings at an alarming rate--the loss of this knowledge exacerbating the existing crisis of Native language loss. American Rescue Plan funding will be critical for Tribes to cover government programs that will help preserve Native languages and culture.

Last Congress, the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples heard from Tribes about inadequacies in the distribution of Coronavirus Relief Funds to Tribes under the CARES Act. The decision to solely rely on Indian Housing Block Grant formula for the calculation of tribal population resulted in dramatically inaccurate counts for many Tribes. I have been very encouraged by this administration's renewed commitment to Tribal consultation, and I urge the administration to continue to make good on that commitment by consulting with and deferring to Tribes on the fairest and most accurate way to determine Tribal enrollment population for the purposes of the American Rescue Plan.

Finally, in order to maximize the effectiveness of this historic investment in Native communities, the American Rescue Plan relief funding must be distributed on an equitable basis. That is why I am proud of the American Rescue Plan's establishment of a minimum payment to ensure every Tribe receives a strong baseline of support. We also heard from Tribes that equitable distribution should include the utilization of both Tribal population and economic and employment data. Once again, it is my hope that the Biden Administration will rely on Tribal consultation in this area when deciding how best to distribute this desperately needed relief in an equitable, timely, and effective manner.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to highlight this important and historic investment in Tribal Nations, who have showed leadership and resilience even as COVID-19 devastated their communities. I look forward to working with my colleagues and with this Administration to ensure quick and effective implementation of this bill in the coming weeks.

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