The Biden administration is on the road as the November presidential election quickly approaches, touting historic levels of funding going to Indian Country.

Speaking from Arizona on Thursday, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said tribes have benefited from $45 billion since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. She described the investments as bringing “transformational change” to American Indians and Alaska Natives, whose basic needs have long been underfunded despite the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities.

“This is one of the several areas where we are truly making once in a generation investments,” Haaland said on a conference call with reporters.

More specifically, Haaland joined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in announcing another $300 million going to Indian Country as part of a new, Biden-era program. More than 30 tribes are benefiting from Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to help them meet energy and infrastructure needs in their communities.

“We are making up for significant and systemic underfunding of tribal communities,” said Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna who is the first Native person to serve in a presidential cabinet. “And look, we know that the need is incredibly high, right?”

As I travel across Indian Country, all I see is optimism. Yesterday, my visit with the Hopi Tribe and @EPAMichaelRegan was an inspiring example of how @POTUS’s Investing in America agenda is making transformational change for future generations. pic.twitter.com/ABQ2SDxROf

— Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) September 5, 2024

During the call, EPA Administrator Michael Regan also highlighted the historic levels of funding going to Indian Country. He said the new grants will encourage economic growth by helping tribes with climate, renewable energy and electrification projects.

“Today’s announcement is the largest grant competition investment EPA has ever made in tribal communities,” said Regan.

As part of their road trip to Arizona, Haaland and Regan met with the Hopi Tribe, one of the recipients of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. Through a project called “Hopi Coal to Solar Transition” the Hopi Utilities Corporation will utilize $20.1 million to install a renewable electricity system to help power nearly 900 homes on the reservation.

“One of the things that we have not done since day one is be paternalistic,” said Regan. “Tribal communities and all communities know their needs the best.”

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A post shared by Michael Regan (@epamichaelregan)

Hopi Tribe Vice Chairman Craig Andrews joined Haaland and Regan for a live announcement on Thursday about the funding. He said people on the reservation have long suffered under an aging and unstable power system that hinders their daily lives.

“Just a simple thing as, you know, turning on the radio or television, they can’t have that,” Andrews said of homes on the reservation. “Or even the refrigerators that they have — the refrigerators they have are currently running on generators.”

“So once we get brown-outs or power outages, you know, there goes our groceries,” said Andrews, who noted that some people have to drive 65 miles off the reservation to find fresh food.

Elsewhere in Indian Country, the Narragansett Tribe is receiving $6.6 million from the EPA. The money will be used to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy efficiency on tribal homelands in Rhode Island.

“As a Sovereign Nation, the tribe looks forward to carry out our efforts to be more energy independent,” Chief Sachem Anthony Stanton said in an EPA news release on Thursday.

Over in the Pacific Northwest, eight tribes in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington are receiving a total of $78 million in grants for a wide range of climate, renewable energy and environmental projects. And in South Dakota, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe is utilizing nearly $7.9 million to deploy electric vehicles on the reservation.

“This is a great opportunity for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe,” Environmental Director Ivan Crow Eagle said in an EPA news release.

Congratulations to our latest grant selectees! 🎉 The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Tribes and Territories Competition is one of the largest investments EPA has ever made in Tribal communities. https://t.co/uJhWIeWBU3 pic.twitter.com/CNZbCcUE0k

— U.S. EPA (@EPA) September 5, 2024

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program was created by the Inflation Reduction Act, an act of Congress that Democratic lawmakers advanced with the help of the Biden administration. Along with the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the new laws have increased federal funding in Indian Country to record levels.

“Our work has been guided by Indian Country, for Indian Country, because representation matters,” Secretary Haaland said on the conference call. “It matters in how we advocate for resources, guide investments and act on policy that impacts our people now and into the future.”

Haaland leads the Department of the Interior, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities. She noted that the $45 billion flowing to Indian Country represents “more than 15 years worth of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ annual budget.”

The Biden administration’s policy achievements in Indian Country have been a central part of the effort to elect Vice President Kamala Harris now that she is the Democratic nominee for president. Advocates have credited her for playing a key role in securing the gains that tribes have seen since 2021.

“She has advanced so many of our priorities and worked in partnership with President Biden,” Minnesota Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan (D), a citizen of the White Earth Nation, said of the vice president during a virtual fundraiser hosted by supporters last month. Just a couple of weeks later, the Native vote trailblazer co-chaired the Democratic National Convention where Harris was officially selected as the party’s nominee.

In the first week following the announcement of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate, the Harris campaign hosted a rally on tribal homelands in Arizona, where the Native vote is expected to play a key role in determining the outcome of the November election. In 2020, the state narrowly went for Joe Biden over Donald Trump, the Republican former president who is running again this year.

Haaland and Flanagan have participated in campaign events in Arizona, and Haaland has traveled there on official business for the Department of the Interior. In addition to the visit with the Hopi Tribe and the announcement with the EPA, Haaland on Wednesday touted the recovery of the Apache trout, the state fish, with the White Mountain Apache Tribe. The fish had long been considered an endangered species, with just a few numbers remaining on the tribe’s reservation until the more recent comeback.