Senator Schatz Questions Slow Payments to Indigenous Tribes

Misinformation and Discouragement of Tribal Self-Governance

• ⚠️ IHS employees have been observed lobbying tribal leadership to discourage them from entering self-governance agreements.
• misinformation includes claims that non-tribal members will lose eligibility for services, which is explicitly false.
• 🎯 BIA has also created roadblocks, stating that tribes seeking to take over new functions under agreements would receive negative funding.

Bureaucratic Hurdles in Payment Processing

• ❓ A new field requiring justification for payments is being kicked to Treasury for an additional layer of review.
• 🏦 The current process involves a recipient list that goes to Treasury, but the specifics of Treasury's clearing authority are still being worked out.
• ⚖️ This process is seen as a potential violation of federal law and is slowing down critical service delivery.

Urgency for Life-Saving Services

• ❗ Senator Schatz emphasizes that the urgency should stem from the need to deliver life-saving services, not from the timing of a hearing.
• 🤝 The government has trust and treaty obligations to Indigenous tribes that necessitate prompt action.
• ⏳ The resolution of these payment delays is crucial for the delivery of essential resources to tribes.