"We were taken aback by two press releases Tuesday morning, when Sen. Tim Johnson and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin separately announced $4.1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act would be used to build a new airport for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
The Act, also known as the stimulus bill, is intended to spend money to help the United States recover from the recession. At least in theory, the idea was to re-employ laid-off workers to construct or repair important infrastructure improvements, like roads, bridges and energy projects. The bill also has provisions for unemployment benefits, federal tax relief and money to the states to help them balance their own budgets.
While there is no question that airports can be considered infrastructure, we question the value of building a new airport on the Rosebud reservation. This is an area that is considered among the poorest parts of the country, where alcoholism and poverty are pervasive, education is substandard and healthcare quality is questioned.
So the best way to spend $4.1 million there is on a new airport?
Since many tribal members don't have enough money to buy a used car or the gasoline for it, we would guess that there are a limited number of private or corporate airplanes at Rosebud."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Does a new airport at Rosebud help with economic recovery?
(The Madison Daily Leader 5/19)
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
H.R.1
| S.1
Related Stories:
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate receives $200K from
stimulus (5/21)
First tribe receives
direct road funding from stimulus (5/20)
Tribes seek share of $3B in stimulus funds
(5/13)
Navajo Nation gets largest chunk
of stimulus funds (5/12)
Minnesota
tribes bank on millions in stimulus funds (5/8)
BIA announces stimulus funds for 12 regional
offices (5/5)
Salazar announces $500M in
stimulus funds for tribes (4/27)
Salazar
to visit tribes and UTTC in North Dakota (4/23)
Grand Traverse Band seeks money to remove dams
(4/17)
North Dakota tribe benefits from $26M
in federal funds (4/17)
North Dakota
tribe benefits from $26M in federal funds (4/16)
EPA to use stimulus funds to clean up Elem
Reservation (4/16)
Julie Kitka: Send
stimulus funds to Alaska Natives (4/2)
Editorial: Ensure stimulus gets to Navajo people
(3/31)
Stimulus provides $54.8M in
tribal energy grants (3/27)
DOJ to
provide $23.6M from stimulus to tribes (3/25)
Tonto Apache Tribe receives $1.8M from stimulus
(3/25)
Stimulus provides $17M for tribal
transit projects (3/24)
Opinion: Tribes
eager for share of stimulus funds (3/24)
Cherokee Nation receives $42.5M from stimulus
(3/20)
Biden announces $3M tribal senior
nutrition funds (3/19)
Blog: How the
stimulus can help Indian Country (3/17)
Stimulus includes $17.8M for Native youth programs
(3/13)
Tex Hall: Recovery an epic
opportunity for tribes (3/6)
New Mexico
tribes receive housing stimulus funds (3/5)
Washington tribes receive $15M in housing stimulus
(3/5)
Navajo Nation gets $34M for
housing stimulus (2/27)
Sen. Dorgan
seeks quick distribution of stimulus (2/24)
Interior investigator to oversee stimulus for Obama
(2/23)
Report slams BIA office in Alaska
over roads funds (2/20)
Kevin Abourezk:
NCAI website tracks Indian stimulus (2/20)
Jodi Rave: Bond provision will help Indian Country
(2/19)
Obama signs $787B stimulus
package into law (2/18)
Stimulus bill
ready for Obama's signature (2/16)
Turtle
Talk: Tribal tax exempt bonds and stimulus (2/12)
Garcia hopeful in last State of Indian Nations
(2/12)
Jodi Rave: NCAI president calls
for economic stimulus (2/11)
Jodi Rave:
Indian stimulus projects called 'pigout' (2/10)
NPR: Indian Country and the national stimulus
(2/10)
Obama pushes for stimulus on eve
of Senate vote (2/10)
Sen. Johnson backs
Indian Country stimulus (2/3)
Opinion:
Indian Country stimulus a good start (1/30)
Stimulus for Indian Country heads to Senate floor
(1/28)
Jodi Rave: Senate bill includes
$2.8B for tribes (1/28)
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
More Stories
Share this Story!
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories in the Indianz.Com Archive are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)