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

May 05, 2020

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.

Donald J. Trump, Fact Sheet - President Donald J. Trump is Protecting the Native American Community as We Combat the Coronavirus Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/341893

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