Indigenous Leaders Discuss COVID-19 Impact, CARES Act Funding

Leaders from Minnesota’s Indigenous communities are discussing the impact of COVID-19 on their communities. It happened at a virtual gathering today along with state and federal leaders.

Senator Tina Smith and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan held a virtual roundtable with leaders from Indigenous tribes around the state to discuss COVID-19’s impact and problems they are having with the CARES Act.

“Give us the tools and the resources to be able to take care of our people,” said Kevin DuPuis, Chairman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Prairie Island, Red Lake, Fond du Lac, and urban tribal leaders voiced their concerns with the amount of time it took for tribes to receive the funds from the CARES Act.

$8 billion in relief were given to tribal nations across the country. But leaders say it was only until earlier this month that their final payments were given out.

Smith has been working closely on this issue. She says she originally wanted $20 billion in funding for Native American tribes.

“COVID is not the great equalizer. It is not affecting everybody the same. COVID disproportionately singles out people who already have challenges,” said Smith.

DuPuis also mentioned that casinos shutting down were a big hit to their economy.

DuPuis said the federal relief did help but he was frustrated about the lack of flexibility that Fond du Lac could use the cares act funding.

“Allow the tribes to receive this funding, if it’s a data  principle that they want us to do, well then fine. Then give the data to what we do with the money. But they’ll see that we’ve been able to take this money, we’ve been able to build our infrastructures that we live in. And most importantly, take care of our people,” said DuPuis.

DuPuis said if a second CARES Act does come around, he hopes that they will have more room to use the aid.