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

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Category: News

Washington, DC - "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.

DELIVERING VITAL SUPPLIES: The Trump Administration has rapidly delivered critical medical supplies to Native Americans communities in need.

  • 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.

SUPPORTING TRIBAL COMMUNITIES: President Trump remains committed to supporting the wellbeing of our American Indians and Alaska Natives.

  • 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.