Hello, everyone-
CAP is out with a new report today, The
COVID-19 Response in Indian Country: A Federal Failure, which discusses the extreme and disproportionate devastation that COVID-19 is having in Native/tribal communities in
the context of the U.S. government’s long and continued history of violating its trust and treaty obligations to Indian Country. It argues that the conditions responsible for the high COVID-19 burden are rooted in the usurpation of tribal sovereignty and homelands
on the one hand, and neglect and underfunding on the other. The situation with the response and recovery efforts has not been much better – as many of you are aware, many tribes were quick to take proactive containment measures that go beyond those of neighboring
states and non-tribal communities, but federal agencies have undermined instead of supporting them in this fight.
Our report lays out seven areas in which the federal government needs to address its legal obligations, fix the current broken systems, and build meaningful government-to-government relationships
with tribes to support them through the pandemic response and recovery process:
This report was a collaboration between CAP’s Public Lands and Race & Ethnicity teams, and benefited from in-depth guidance from folks at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) as well
as other leaders on these issues. Particularly relevant to this group is #7 which discusses tribal homelands, natural resource management and the recent issues surrounding public comment periods and tribal consultation for Chaco Canyon, North Slope and other
decisions during the pandemic. We hope this report can serve as a step towards much deeper collaboration and community-building with tribes and tribal organizations leading the 30x30 effort.
Any help promoting the report would be much appreciated! A few sample tweets are included below.
Thanks!
PS: Link to the accompanying press
release.
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Sample tweets
COVID19 is devastating Indian Country. The Navajo Nation has the country’s highest infection rate —higher than that of Wuhan at its worst. The U.S. govt must be held accountable for its ongoing
violations of its trust & treaty responsibilities to tribes. https://www.americanprogress.org/?p=486480
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#COVID19's devastating impact on tribes lays bare the U.S. government’s neglectful, disjointed, and misguided approach to Indian Country. These are seven areas the Trump administration and Congress
should prioritize to begin to remedy that.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2020/06/18/486480/covid-19-response-indian-country/
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Many Native tribes took fast, proactive measures to contain the spread of the #coronavirus. Instead of supporting and matching their efforts, the U.S. government has undermined them at every turn. Here's how it can—and must—start to correct itself. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2020/06/18/486480/covid-19-response-indian-country/
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Even before COVID19, tribes had the odds stacked against them by decades of usurpation and underfunding at the hands of the US government. Instead of supporting their efforts, the Trump Admin and
@SecBernhardt have made things worse. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2020/06/18/486480/covid-19-response-indian-country/
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Legal lesson: in exchange for the vast lands it acquired from Native tribes, the US must respect tribal sovereignty and provide funds and resources for tribal wellbeing. In the face of #COVID19, it's failing on both counts - and costing lives. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2020/06/18/486480/covid-19-response-indian-country/
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Sahir Doshi
Research Assistant (Public Lands)
Center for American Progress