In the summer of 1971, "What's Going On" dominated the air waves between Washington DC and Window Rock. Singing from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning home to a struggling nation, Marvin Gaye asked a question 50 years ago that resonates today. Veterans of the Navajo Nation's war against COVID-19, folks on the frontlines, and those who support them are right to look to Washington, DC and ask, "What's going on?"

President Jonathan Nez, Vice President Myron Lizer, and the Navajo Nation Washington Office are zealously advocating for Congressional, Presidential, and Administrative action that the Navajo People need to win the battle against COVID-19. We are simultaneously working to include language in annual Federal legislation that will re-authorize and fund other programs and projects vital to the Navajo Nation. This issue is dedicated to updating you about these efforts.

Request for President Trump to Help Fund Tribal Health

On March 9, 2020, President Jonathon Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer sent a letter asking President Trump to ensure that IHS and 638 health care facilities receive increased financial support from the $8.3 billion appropriation that President Trump signed on March 6 to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

Immediately after declaring a State of Emergency due to COVID-19, President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer implored Congress to pass legislation that would provide for the urgent health and economic needs of the Navajo Nation, estimated to cost $2.6 billion.

On March 27, 2020 Congress passed the CARES Act, which set aside $8 billion for direct assistance to Tribal governments.  The Navajo Nation was allocated $714 million. Though Congress stipulated that these funds should be distributed by April 26, 2020, it would take the U.S. Treasury three months to get desperately needed funding to the Navajo Nation. Nez/ Lizer sent 12 letters to Congress urging Members to ask the Treasury to release the funds immediately. 

The CARES Act also provided set asides for BIA. On April 22, 2020, Nez/Lizer sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney to ask how exactly BIA planned to distribute its $453 million in CARES Act for "Operation of Indian Programs" during COVID-19.

Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Implementation Advocacy

Water is life: Throughout this crisis, the Nez/Lizer has continued to petition Congress to fund water projects necessary to deliver running water to the 40% of Navajo homes that lack indoor plumbing, sending three letters in April that delivered the resounding message to Congress that historic infrastructure funding disparities exacerbate COVID-19 risks to Navajo people. 

Red tape is trouble: On June 11, 2020, Nez/Lizer sent a letter with the Navajo Nation White Paper to President Trump and seven of his Secretaries to assert our sovereign right to exercise self-determination by deciding for ourselves the appropriate level of environmental impact review for infrastructure projects we finance using the CRF. Nez/Lizer similarly delivered the White Paper to Congress through multiple letters and testimony seeking their help in getting Tribal governments designated as  the lead  agency  for  providing  environmental  clearances during the COVID-19 crisis to expedite delivery of lifesaving projects.

Tourism is dangerous: On May 11, 2020, Nez/Lizer sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and National Park Service Deputy Director David Vela to express concern about phased reopenings of National Parks adjacent to the Navajo Nation and request to partner in that decision making. On July 15, 2020, Nez/Lizer sent another letter to them opposing the reopening of Antelope Point Marina until the Navajo Nation begins its own phased reopening plan for Navajo businesses that operate within the borders of the Navajo Nation.

Our fight to improve Federal support for Tribal programs and Navajo projects is unwavering. Through letters and testimony, Nez/Lizer continue to appeal to Navajo's Congressional delegation, committee leadership, House and Senate leadership and the White House to get Navajo's priorities included in the next "stimulus bill".

Extend CRF Eligibility Deadline: Include H.R.7577 and S.4232 to extend the deadline in which to use Tribal CRF funds from December 30, 2020 to December 30, 2022.

Reauthorize Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI): Include S.3937 to reauthorize SDPI with funding levels at $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.

Dedicate Funds to Reduce IHS Sanitation Deficiencies: Include S.4168 to give IHS an additional $1.3 billion from FY 2020 through FY 2024 to construct urgently needed sanitation facilities. 

Support BIE Schools: Increase the BIE set-aside from the Education Stabilization Fund from 0.5% to 1.0% to increase funding for BIE schools from $525 million to $1.05 billion.

Support Navajo Families: Include S.3672 to reauthorize and expand the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs and enable Tribes to use the TANF Contingency Fund.

Prevent Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project Funding Gaps: Include funding for the Bureau of Reclamation to avoid project delays so that Navajo families can get running water asap. 

Months of Nez/Lizer negotiations created the unanimous bipartisan support needed for the Senate to unanimously pass S.886, the Indian Water Rights Extension Settlement Act on June 4, 2020. This legislation will address the water needs of the Navajo Nation in Utah and settle its water-related claims against the United States and State of Utah by providing $220 million in funding for drinking water infrastructure on the Navajo Nation. The House included the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act in the House infrastructure package, H.R.2, that passed in July 2020. However, we are pushing for the House to pass the Indian Water Rights Extension Settlement Act as a noncontroversial, stand-alone bill that needs only a voice vote for passage, rather than tucking it into a giant legislative package that the Senate Majority has deemed "dead on arrival."

Office of Navajo Hopi Indian Relocation Office (ONHIR): Nez/Lizer worked feverishly with Congressman Tom O'Halleran to ensure that the FY'2021 House passed Interior Appropriations bill did not rescind $15 million from efforts to fulfill ONHIR's obligations to Navajo relocatees to build homes and infrastructure. The fight continues on the Senate side, with Tribal advocate Greg Smith, Esq. leading the charge.

Broadband Relief: On July 27, 2020, Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a historic bill that would affirm Tribal nations’ and Native Hawaiian organizations’ ownership of broadband spectrum over their lands to deploy wireless Internet services. The DIGITAL Reservations Act would affirm Tribal sovereignty to spectrum rights for the first time in United States history by granting Native nations full permanent access to spectrum licenses over Tribal lands to fulfill true self-governance and self-management of modern natural resources on their lands.

Electricity for Navajos: On August 6, 2020, Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) introduced legislation to authorize a one-time $89 million infusion of funds into the Navajo Electrification Demonstration Program (NEDP) to empower the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) to implement projects that bring electric power to Navajo households. The senators will be seeking the funding in a bill for COVID relief or other near-term legislation.