The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals hears arguments in Shawnee Tribe v. Steven Mnuchin, No. 20-5286, on Friday, December 4, 2020.

In the case, the Shawnee Tribe is suing the Trump administration over its handling of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act. The law created an $8 billion COVID-19 relief fund that was distributed to tribal governments.

The Shawnee Tribe received just $100,000 in the first round of payments from the CARES Act. The Department of the Treasury issued the amount by concluding that the tribe’s population was 0.

The tribe, based in Oklahoma, argues that Treasury should have relied on its citizenship numbers. If enrollment is taken into account, the first round payment would have been approximately $12 million.

Shawnee Tribe v. Mnuchin (Turtle Talk)