Conclusion Please tell Secretary Mnuchin to use federally-recognized Tribal governments, vested with inherent sovereign authority and their governing bodies, as the federally-recognized Indian Tribes Congress intended to fund under the CARES Act, and Indian Country and Indian lands as the appropriate areas for the exercise of tribal government responsibility and tribal jurisdiction in responding the National COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and Economic Crisis under the CARES Act. In future legislation to address the National COVID-19 Emergency, Congress should use the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act to make it absolutely clear that “Indian tribe” means Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, not state corporations or other groups. To resolve the BIA’s recent confusion about Indian tribes, Tribal governments and Indian country, we respectfully request that Congress amend the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund to reference the Federally Recognized Tribe List Act with an effective date of March 1, 2020. Sincerely,
[Tribal Chairman/President]
Cc:
The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin
Secretary of the Treasury U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20220
E-mail: tribal.consult@treasury.gov
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