{"id":859,"date":"2020-09-21T09:10:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T14:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=859"},"modified":"2020-09-21T09:12:26","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T14:12:26","slug":"cronkite-news-navajo-nation-weighs-spending-plans-for-covid-19-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/21\/cronkite-news-navajo-nation-weighs-spending-plans-for-covid-19-funds\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Navajo Nation weighs spending plans for COVID-19 funds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jdu_ND-Eej0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=figure-caption>Navajo Nation Office of President and Vice President: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/jdu_ND-Eej0>COVID-19 Town Hall &#8211; September 15, 2020<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=h1-responsive>Tribe rushes to beat use-or-lose deadline on COVID-19 relief funds<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, September 21, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=byline>By Claire Chandler<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n WASHINGTON &#8211; Spending $177 million may not seem like a problem, but it is a challenge for Navajo Nation leaders who could lose those funds if they don&#8217;t find projects that can be completed by the end of this year. <p><\/p>\r\n That funding is the last part of $714 million the Navajo got as their share of the $8 billion budgeted for tribes in the Coronavirus Assistance, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, that Congress passed earlier this year. <p><\/p>\r\n \r\nThe Navajo Council   debated several proposals last Thursday on how to spend the remaining funds &#8211; but all with an eye on the calendar. That&#8217;s a challenge, said one official, because many items the tribe has identified as &#8220;immediate&#8221; needs are infrastructure-heavy, like water and broadband projects.\r\n <p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;Those are all things that the council has identified as being immediate needs in response to COVID 19,&#8221; said Byron Shorty, a spokesman for the Navajo Council speaker&#8217;s office. &#8220;The Navajo Nation&#8217;s rates (of COVID-19 infection) were so high that we really cannot point to anything other than lack of water, lack of clean water, electrical infrastructure and coal.&#8221; <p><\/p>\r\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" data-attachment-id=\"864\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/21\/cronkite-news-navajo-nation-weighs-spending-plans-for-covid-19-funds\/jonathannez\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/jonathannez.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"jonathannez\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez takes part in a CARES Act distribution of food and supplies on the largest reservation in the United States. Photo: &lt;a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NezLizer2018\/&gt;Navajo Nation Office of President and Vice President&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/jonathannez-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/jonathannez.jpg\" alt=\"jonathannez\"   class=\"img-fluid wp-image-864\" \/><figcaption class=figure-caption>Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez takes part in a CARES Act distribution of food and supplies on the largest reservation in the United States. Photo: <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NezLizer2018\/>Navajo Nation Office of President and Vice President<\/a><\/figcaption><p><\/p>\r\nThe proposals include a council-backed bill that would allocate \r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.navajonationcouncil.org\/Legislations\/2020\/AUG\/0197-20.pdf\">$90 million<\/a>\r\ndirectly to tribal chapters for local assistance and another directing funds to \r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.navajonationcouncil.org\/Legislations\/2020\/AUG\/0201-20.pdf\">hardship assistance.<\/a>\r\nThey also \r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.navajonationcouncil.org\/Legislations\/2020\/AUG\/0209-20.pdf\">include a plan<\/a>\r\nby Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer to allocate the remaining $177 million for everything from infrastructure projects to aid for struggling businesses.\r\n <p><\/p>\r\n Navajo officials so far allocated $537 million of their share, for everything from personal protective equipment to frontline worker pay to infrastructure programs, including solar power and water delivery projects. <p><\/p>\r\n The first round of CARES Act funding arrived in May, and the race against the clock has been made more difficult by what tribal officials said were federal delays in disbursing the money. <p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;We have a deadline of December 30,&#8221; Nez said. &#8220;Even though there&#8217;s legislation in Congress that&#8217;s wanting to extend that, but at this point, they would have passed it already, and we&#8217;re not going to hold our breath. <p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;So what we&#8217;re going to do is do our very best, and we vetted a lot of these projects,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These projects, we were told, could be completed by the December 30 deadline.&#8221; <p><\/p>\r\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Passage of the Navajo Nation CARES Act legislation is a victory for the Navajo People <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6zWXVdCqRf\">pic.twitter.com\/6zWXVdCqRf<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (@NNPrezNez) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NNPrezNez\/status\/1276367608195936257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 26, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe tribe focused the \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opvp.navajo-nsn.gov\/Portals\/0\/FILES\/PRESS%20RELEASES\/2020\/Jul\/FOR%20IMMEDIATE%20RELEASE%20-%20Nez-Lizer%20approve%20CARES%20Act%20funds%20for%20special%20duty%20pay%20and%20PPE%20for%20frontline%20workers%20disinfecting%20government%20facilities%20and%20more-opt.pdf\">first round<\/a>\r\nof funding on fulfilling immediate needs, with $10 million set aside to fund care packages, food, water and PPE. After immediate needs were satisfied, the tribal government turned to projects that will provide citizens with improved access to water, electricity and the internet.\r\n <p><\/p>\r\n \r\nNez said each of the \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opvp.navajo-nsn.gov\/Portals\/0\/FILES\/PRESS%20RELEASES\/2020\/Aug\/FOR%20IMMEDIATE%20RELEASE%20-%20Nez-Lizer%20proposes%20177%20million%20in%20remaining%20CARES%20Act%20funding%20for%20immediate%20relief%20for%20Navajo%20families%20students%20elders%20and%20others.pdf\">latest projects<\/a>\r\nhas been checked to make sure that they would meet the deadline &#8211; if only barely. A Navajo Tribal Utility Authority plan to improve broadband penetration on the reservation, for example, is scheduled to test stations by December 23.\r\n <p><\/p>\r\n \r\nBesides broadband and Wi-Fi hotspots being installed in various communities, as well as upgrades to fiber-optic cables that could improve internet speed tenfold, the \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opvp.navajo-nsn.gov\/Portals\/0\/FILES\/PRESS%20RELEASES\/2020\/Sep\/FOR%20IMMEDIATE%20RELEASE%20\">NTUA connected<\/a>\r\nmore than 100 homes to the electric grid, with plans to connect more before the deadline hits.\r\n <p><\/p>\r\n The projects all comply with the law of CARES Act, but Ross Marchand, vice president of policy at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, wonders if they comply with the spirit. <p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;I think the main question, and main issue, when you are talking about emergency relief legislation like the CARES Act, is how can we strike a balance towards helping people who are struggling right now, but not subsidizing wasteful operations that are tangential to this public health crisis we are facing right now,&#8221; Marchand said. <p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n  <\/script><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n For Nez, there is no question that funding broadband and electricity improvements will help prevent the spread of the virus by keeping people informed, allowing remote work and schooling, and aid those hit by the pandemic. <p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;Thirty to 40% of our Navajo people don&#8217;t have running water or electricity, you would think that that would be a priority to keep the virus at bay,&#8221; Nez said. &#8220;Personal hygiene is very important, as we have found out. Getting information to our citizens, you need electricity, and broadband, to get information out during a public health emergency.&#8221; <p><\/p>\r\n He said the tribal government wants to be prepared, as health care experts are predicting a second COVID-19 wave this winter. <p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;What we&#8217;re doing is preparing for that wave so we can keep as many of our citizens at home and also getting high-speed internet because we took a position that all our schools should be online for this semester,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And, of course, hardship assistance for individuals, those that are needing to pay the bills or rent, whatever they need, and even getting prepared for the winter.&#8221; <p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"fb-video\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NezLizer2018\/videos\/318358942792592\/\" data-show-text=\"false\" data-width=\"auto\"><blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/NezLizer2018\/videos\/318358942792592\/\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\"><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/NezLizer2018\/videos\/318358942792592\/\"><\/a><p>CENSUS OUTREACH &amp; CARE PACKAGE DISTRIBUTION AT NORTHERN EDGE CASINO, FARMINGTON, NM.09.19.20<\/p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NezLizer2018\/\">Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer<\/a> on Saturday, September 19, 2020<\/blockquote><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nRep. Tom O&#8217;Halleran, D-Sedona, introduced \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/116\/bills\/hr7557\/BILLS-116hr7557ih.pdf\">a bill<\/a>\r\nin July to extend the deadline for using the fund for two years, noting that the $2 trillion CARES Act was signed into law March 27 and tribes were supposed to get their $8 billion by April 29. But they did not get any funds until May 5, during which time &#8220;the Navajo Nation &#8230; became the most concentrated COVID-19 hotspot in the nation.&#8221;\r\n <p><\/p>\r\n O&#8217;Halleran&#8217;s bill has 12 bipartisan co-sponsors, including Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson; Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix; and David Schweikert, R-Fountain Hills. But it has yet to receive a hearing in the House. <p><\/p>\r\n In the meantime, Nez said the Navajo Nation will continue looking for projects that will qualify for funding and meet the current deadline. While the CARES Act has offered some solutions to the problems caused by COVID-19 it offers a small comfort to a community still healing after being hit hard by the virus. <p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;$714 million can&#8217;t solve all our problems here on the Navajo Nation,&#8221; Nez said. &#8220;At least, this is a start to bring in some needed economic and community development to combat any virus that comes onto the Navajo Nation now or into the future.&#8221; <p><\/p>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2020\/09\/17\/tribe-rushes-to-beat-use-or-lose-deadline-on-covid-19-relief-funds\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spending $177 million may not seem like a problem, but it is a challenge for Navajo Nation leaders who could lose those funds if they don\u2019t find projects that can be completed by the end of this year.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":864,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20,1,14],"tags":[50,74,5,46,92,48,28,247],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-indian-trust","category-national","category-politics","tag-116th","tag-cares-act","tag-coronavirus","tag-cronkite-news","tag-h-r-7557","tag-house","tag-jonathan-nez","tag-tom-ohalleran","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/jonathannez.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-dR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}