Trump admin called out for not giving crucial health data to Dineh tribe health authorities

Ben Luján Addresses Navajo Nation Council, Discusses Need For Further COVID-19 Relief In Tribal Communities

First published 21 August 2020, Los Alamos Daily Post

More than 9,000 individuals living in the Navajo Nation have been infected with COVID-19, and more than 400 lost their lives.

U.S. House Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.)  has called out the Trump administration for failing to share crucial health data with Tribal health authorities and awarding a $3 million contract to a former Trump White House official who delivered substandard personal protective equipment to the Indian Health Service.

Luján delivered a report to the Navajo Nation Council on the continued efforts by the House of Representatives to address the COVID-19 pandemic and bring further relief to Tribal communities.

While Assistant Speaker Luján works with the Navajo Nation Council often, this meeting was the first time he addressed the full Council.

“I was deeply honored to address Speaker Damon and the Navajo Nation Council. The Navajo Nation has been hard hit by COVID-19, and inaction and incompetence on the part of the Trump administration have exacerbated the suffering of its families and slowed relief and recovery efforts,” Luján said. “I will take the concerns and recommendations of Council members with me to Washington and continue fighting to ensure that all Tribal communities have the resources and flexibility they need to weather this unprecedented public health emergency.”

Listen to the full meeting here.