A federal judge is holding a hearing in Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Mnuchin at 9:30am Eastern on June 15, 2020.
The tribal plaintiffs are seeking a court order forcing the Trump administration to distribute the money remaining in the $8 billion coronavirus relief fund by an “immediate and definitive date.”
A decision has not been made on their renewed motion although the judge assigned to the case previously declined to enter a preliminary inunction against the Department of the Treasury.
Treasury on June 12 announced it was distributing a second round from the coronavirus relief fund. But instead of the $3.2 billion as promised, $679 million is being withheld by the Trump administration out of concerns that it might have underpaid tribes from the first round of payments as a result of a lawsuit known as Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation v. Mnuchin.
The first round went out in early May. It consisted of $4.8 billion in payments, though a portion is being withheld from Alaska Native corporations pending litigation on their eligibility to receive the funds. The litigation is known as Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation v. Mnuchin, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe v. Mnuchin andUte Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation v. Mnuchin.
A portion of the second round is also being withheld from Alaska Native corporations.
The public can listen to the hearing in Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Mnuchin by calling the following number and entering the following code:
- Toll Free Number: 877-848-7030
- Access Code: 3218747
The plaintiffs in Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Mnuchin are:
- Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (California)
- Ak-Chin Indian Community (Arizona)
- Northern Arapaho Tribe (Wyoming)
- Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma)
- Snoqualmie Tribe (Washington)
- Yurok Tribe (California)