{"id":4202,"date":"2020-05-04T22:26:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T02:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/covid19\/?p=4202"},"modified":"2024-10-28T18:07:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T22:07:48","slug":"sen-maria-cantwell-d-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/2020\/05\/04\/sen-maria-cantwell-d-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington). Photo: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

For Immediate Release
\nMay 4, 2020<\/p>\n

Cantwell, Colleagues to Mnuchin: Disburse $8 Billion in Critical COVID-19 Relief to Tribal Governments Immediately<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/em><\/p>\n

Letter comes as Treasury has yet to distribute critical funding secured in the CARES Act over a month ago<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WASHINGTON, D.C. <\/strong>\u2013 U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and a bipartisan group of her Senate colleagues in a letter urging Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to immediately disburse $8 billion in critical relief funds to eligible federally recognized Tribal governments.<\/p>\n

The emergency assistance, which was secured in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act<\/em>, is critical to helping Tribal governments\u2014just like their state, local, and territorial counterparts\u2014respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and continue providing essential government services to their communities. However, as of May 1, the Treasury Department has not yet distributed any of this funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe CARES Act was passed over a month ago and contained an express statutory deadline for distribution of the CRF to Tribal governments; however, to date Treasury has not distributed any of this critical funding,\u201d<\/strong> the senators wrote. \u201cTreasury should immediately disburse the $8 billion to eligible federally recognized Tribal governments.  Tribal leaders emphasize that any further delay will have severe detrimental impacts on their ability to protect public health and spur economic recovery in their communities.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to Cantwell and Smith, the letter to Secretary Mnuchin was also signed by U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-NM), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jon Tester (D-MT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeffery A. Merkley (D-OR), Angus S. King (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT).<\/p>\n