Johnson: “We Must Do Better for Tribes”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) urged Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Department of Government Efficiency Chair Elon Musk to examine the waste, fraud, and abuse of funds for Indian country. Many healthcare, education, and law enforcement facilities in Indian country are not receiving the necessary funds for upkeep and operations.

“We believe in our duty to provide critical resources to tribes and tribal citizens. But as Members of Congress, we have a duty to ensure that federal taxpayer dollars are being used wisely,” wrote the members. “Funding must reach in-need tribal communities, rather than sit in an empty federal government building while Native Americans continue to face records levels of poverty, inadequate healthcare, and lack of proper law enforcement.”

Background:

In February, the House Natural Resources Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing that highlighted the severe lack of oversight and mismanagement of the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Johnson advocated for this hearing earlier this year. 

Examples of mismanaged funds:

• A Department of Interior (DOI) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report showed one BIE-operated school had transferred $1.2 million in federal funds to an offshore account.
• A DOI OIG report demonstrated BIE’s systemic mismanagement and noted a more than $1 billion backlog in deferred maintenance.
• BIE was responsible for over $900 million in COVID-19 funds. Half of the COVID-19 funds used on purchase cards were flagged for being “elevated-risk transactions.”

The letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Troy Downing (R-MT), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), and Harriet Hageman (R-WY).

Read the full letter here.