President Donald J. Trump is Protecting the Native American Community as We Combat the Coronavirus

Issued on: May 5, 2020

We will leverage every resource we have to bring safety to our tribal communities, and we will not waver in this mission

— President Donald J. Trump

COMBATING CORONAVIRUS IN NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES: President Donald J. Trump is supporting Native American communities impacted by the coronavirus.

• President Trump is working to make sure Native American communities have the support they need to combat the coronavirus.
• The President signed the CARES Act into law, providing $8 billion to address coronavirus preparedness, response, and recovery for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
  • The initial allocation of this funding, totaling nearly $5 billion, will be one of the largest programmatic investments in Indian Country in our Nation’s history.
• The Administration has also allocated over $1 billion through the Indian Health Service (IHS), to support tribes, tribal organizations, and Urban Indian Organizations in their coronavirus response efforts.
• In early March, the Trump Administration established a multi-agency coordinating group tasked with ensuring effective Federal coordination on tribal issues.
• The President has also acted to expand telehealth capacity and availability across IHS regions, allowing patients to get the care they need, while staying at home.

• Unprecedented supplies of critically needed medical equipment have been delivered by the Trump Administration to Native American communities.
• The Federal Government delivered 250 Abbott testing systems to IHS and they have been distributed to IHS and tribal healthcare facilities throughout Indian Country.
  • These systems allow for rapid testing at the time and place of patient care and expands testing capacity, especially important for harder to reach and vulnerable populations.
• The Administration sent 100 ventilators to Arizona to support Indian Country.
• The Trump Administration has worked closely to provide relief—including the delivery of 50 ventilators—to the Navajo Nation, which has seen significant impacts from the coronavirus.
  • The Federal Government has also deployed two Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and constructed three 50-bed Federal Medical Stations for the Navajo Nation.

• President Trump signed the first-ever presidential proclamation officially recognizing the grave issue of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
  • The President issued the first ever Executive Order establishing a task force on missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives whose work is underway.
• To examine systemic problems at IHS, the President launched his Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children served by the IHS.
• President Trump has also worked to enhance coordination between the Federal Government and tribal leaders on promoting economic growth and improving standards of living.
• President Trump re-activated the White House Council on Native American Affairs to promote economic development and rural prosperity in Indian Country.

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