Choctaw Nation gets $944 million in American Rescue Plan funds
May 26—Choctaw Nation is set to received hundreds of millions in federal funding to address negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tribe officials said the tribe received $944 million in an initial payment of Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) from the U.S. Treasury this week — and plans include using that money in several areas.
"We want to acknowledge and express our appreciation to the U.S. Congress and the Biden Administration for taking the tribal nations' input on this more equitable formula for allocations, which is based on the number of people we serve," Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said in a press release.
The tribe said it's planning to use the funds to address negative impacts the COVID-19 pandemic caused. Focus areas will include tribal services; direct member assistant; public health; housing; education; technology; Choctaw business assistance; tribal government stabilization; replace lost tribal government revenue; job protection, including hazard pay; Choctaw Reservation infrastructure needs; water; sewer; broadband and more.
Choctaw Nation District 11 Councilor Robert Karr said tribal councilors met several times throughout the past year on how to use federal funds awarded to Choctaw Nation through COVID-19 relief programs — and will extend and continue some previous programs.
"We're going to be able to help a lot of people on our reservation," Karr said.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law March 11 with Native American tribes to get more than $31 billion — the largest-ever investment to Native American communities. The funds can be obligated through Dec. 31, 2024.
Choctaw Nation previously received $200.8 million through The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act then-President Donald Trump signed in March 2020. The tribe put those funds toward assistance programs like Mutual Help, Independent Elderly, LEAP or Affordable Rental Housing properties.
CARES Act funds totaling $4.8 million were distributed to tribal governments based on federal housing population data, which caused concern among some tribes before the Treasury Department said it corrected the formula.
Each of the 574 federally recognized tribes was to receive an even split of $1 billion, with the remainder of $20 billion earmarked for COVID-19 relief distributed based on pro rata share of total certified tribal enrollment.
The Navajo Nation has the largest land mass of any Native American tribe with its 27,000-square-mile reservation — and recently became the largest tribe with nearly 400,000 members to surpass Cherokee Nation's enrollment of 392,000.
Cherokee Nation is largest tribe in Oklahoma and its reservation spans 7,000 square miles. The tribe announced it will receive $1.8 billion in ARPA funds — with plans to provide every Cherokee citizen with a $2,000 stipend allocating $1,000 in each of the next two years, in addition to funding toward several tribe services.
Choctaw Nation is the third-largest Native American tribe in the U.S. with more than 200,000 members. The tribe's reservation covers 10,923 square miles in southeast Oklahoma.
Batton said the tribe intends to extend and re-open application periods for successful programs through the CARES Act "that benefit our most vulnerable tribal members."
Karr said Choctaw Nation will distribute ARPA funds to various programs based on needs determined by tribal councilors, COVID-19 relief committee members, and other officials.
Tribal officials anticipate ARPA-funded program applications to open in September and offer more information at https://www.choctawnation.com/covidrelief.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
