The Center for American Progress, a public policy and advocacy nonprofit with a liberal focus, said in an editorial that Native American Indians and Alaska native people have been neglected by the federal government, which has failed to protect them from the COVID-19 outbreak.
The op-ed co-authored by Sahir Doshi, Allison Jordan, Kate Kelly and Danyelle Solomon said the U.S. Government failed to uphold treaty obligations to native peoples and as a result, they suffer a higher percentage of coronavirus cases.
As an example, they noted that native peoples only make up one-tenth of the population of New Mexico but total more than 55% of coronavirus cases, in Wyoming 3% of the population and one-third of reported virus cases.
Factors for the disparity were listed as sub-par health services on reservations, lack of infrastructure and an economic plunge after the closing of Indian gaming casinos because of the pandemic, income needed by the tribes.
The editorial reported an estimated loss of $4.4 billion in revenues to native peoples, and $997 million in lost payroll. The losses allegedly accounted for a downturn in the ability of the tribes on tribal lands to provide adequate healthcare, schooling and safety.
The editorial alleged that the U.S. Government had not lived up to treaty agreements it signed with the tribes to protect them as sovereign entities and instead had consistently underfunded promised support through budget cuts, outright neglect and encroachment on the tribes' sovereign authority.
The advocates called on government officials to address the inequalities that have left the native peoples particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendations included providing support for tribal economies and breaking down bureaucratic barriers. In addition, funding should be provided for the Indian Health Service System which they alleged in under-funded, and support provided for safety, infrastructure, justice needs, also resource management requirements.
The editorial accused the government of deliberately excluding native peoples from COVID-19 data demographics by failing to identify them as a distinct grouping.
One of the recommendations called for streamlining the system so that federal funding to deal with the pandemic is provided directly to tribes rather than through state or local governments.
“Tribes are telling the federal government exactly what they need; the onus is now on the government to listen,” the editorial concluded.
