[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 27, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H2287-H2288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE NAVAJO NATION AND THE CORONAVIRUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. O'Halleran) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues 
in Washington--and all watching at home--the dire situation COVID-19 
has created in the Navajo Nation and across our Nation.
  But first, standing in this Chamber today, I want to recognize the 
nearly 100,000 lives lost thus far to the coronavirus, a staggering 
number that has affected families, communities, economy, frontline 
first responders, and many others.
  Though some Americans may feel they have reached a new normal, hot 
spots across our Nation are still in the thick of this pandemic, and 
the fear for what might come in the fall and winter is at the forefront 
of our thoughts.
  One of those hot spots is the Navajo Nation. Per capita, the Navajo 
Nation has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any U.S. State. Under 
the CARES Act, signed into law March 27, my colleagues and I fought to 
include $8 billion for Tribal governments to use for expenses incurred 
during the pandemic.
  The first round of that funding did not reach the Navajo Nation until 
May 5. Much of the delay was because officials within the Department of 
the Interior were considering allocating a portion of this $8 billion 
to the Alaska Natives Corporation, a group of for-profit entities that 
generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, and answer to 
individual stakeholders.
  I immediately joined the voices of Tribes across our Nation in 
demanding that these funds reach established Tribal governments, not 
corporations.
  On April 27, a U.S. district judge announced that the Treasury 
Department could begin distributing money to federally-recognized 
Tribes, and not to this corporate group. Delayed funding is not the 
only issue here. While Tribes wait for the rest of the CARES Act money 
they were promised, politics in Washington continue to complicate 
already acute public health concerns on Navajo.
  Recent reports indicate that respirator masks sent to Navajo Nation 
hospitals through a Federal contract with a former White House staffer 
may be faulty. I have serious concerns about the lack of oversight and 
accountability in this contract-awarding process, considering that this 
$3 million deal was awarded to a friend of the administration with no 
prior Federal contracting experience, who had only been in business for 
11 days.
  It is unacceptable for government to be delivering anything other 
than what is needed to any community, much less a hard-hit community 
like Navajo.
  I have asked my colleagues here to help me launch an immediate 
investigation into the potentially faulty PPE, and to make sure that 
the entire contracting process receives more oversight.
  While Tribes deal with the fallout politics has caused, they endure 
other

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factors that have complicated this pandemic as well. Critical water, 
sanitation, and broadband projects throughout the Navajo Nation remain 
unfunded and firmly on Congress' back burner.
  Since coming to Washington in 2017, I have tried to raise the alarm 
about these long-overlooked issues. I have worked with Tribal 
governments, shareholders in my district, and my colleagues here on 
Capitol Hill to find solutions to the problems faced by Indian Country.
  This public health crisis continues to shine a brighter light on the 
hurdles that many Tribal families face every day, not just during a 
global pandemic. I hope I can count on the many who have joined me in 
speaking up for Tribal communities to continue to do so after this 
crisis because lives are at stake here.
  Tribal communities are tired of partisan games and political spin. 
They need the resources they were promised so each sovereign Nation can 
care for their people.
  The Dine people are resilient and they will win this fight.
  In a report yesterday from my friend and Navajo Nation President 
Jonathan Nez, he noted that the Navajo Nation's own aggressive public 
health measures have helped flatten the curve of COVID-19 
significantly.
  The situation could have been much worse without his leadership, and 
the region remains at a high risk if the Federal Government does not 
step up and do its part.

                          ____________________