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WINDOW ROCK
A November 20 memorandum from the Chief of Staff to the President of the Navajo Nation angered some council delegates, who say it gives chapters and tribal programs a loophole to hang on to their allowances under the CARES Act in December rather than returning them to the Hardship Fund as mandated by the Board. in recent legislation.
The legislation had ordered that any funds in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act not spent by programs by November 20 automatically revert to the Hardship Fund, which will distribute the remaining funds among members of the the tribe affected by the virus.
But the memo reads, “While the allocated CARES-funded program provides information on the amount to be encumbered after November 20, 2020, such as staff, monthly invoices, and documents still being procured, the Office of Management and the Navajo Nation budget will authorize a justified amount. / was to continue until December 4, 2020. “
It’s tomorrow, so too many programs are unlikely to have taken advantage of the extended deadline, but several Council delegates were angry at what they perceived to be a bureaucratic coup.
“It appears that the Office of the President and Vice-President and the Office of Management and Budget are trying, finally, not to circumvent, but to completely violate the law passed by the Council of the Navajo Nation reallocating unspent funds. hardship assistance program, ”delegate Carl Slater wrote on his Facebook page.
“Bottom line,” said delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton, “the Diné people need these funds. Don’t let it go back to the federal government. Speak for yourself, your family and your neighbors. “
The memo was signed by OMB Director Dominic Beyal, but the line for Controller Pearline Kirk’s signature was left blank. Kirk did not resend an email before the deadline, but Charles-Newton said in his post that Kirk refused to sign it because she admitted he was breaking Navajo Nation law.
Beyal did not return a phone call on Wednesday.
The memo said the provision was necessary to comply with the Navajo Nation’s budget instruction manual and internal controls.
Several Navajo citizens who saw the memo in social media posts called the Navajo Times on Tuesday wondering what the impact would be on the relief fund.
The fund was created to use CARES law money that could not be spent on projects by the December 30 deadline by dividing it among the applicants, who so far number around 240,000 of the 327,000 members. of the tribe.
Although the maximum benefit has been capped at $ 1,500 per adult and $ 500 per child, so far that is far from the case. According to the Monitor’s website, it is currently $ 249 per adult and $ 83 per minor.
“It seems that President (Jonathan) Nez doesn’t care about people,” said a caller, who added that she would be looking into impeachment proceedings against Nez. “I hear people say they’re going to walk on Window Rock.”
Nez says it’s not fair.
“First and foremost, I support hardship relief funds for the Navajo people,” he wrote in a statement to the Navajo Times. “My signature is on the resolution that approved these hardship funds and to allow other CARES Act funds to be diverted to this pot of money.”
But, he says, projects are also important.
“The resolutions that were adopted by the Council and promulgated also included funds for water, power lines, telecommunications and other projects that bring long-term benefits – these projects are being completed as quickly as possible,” he wrote in the statement. .
“So far, thousands of people have received electricity, water systems, bathroom additions, increased access to telecommunications and much more,” he said.
Regarding the memo, he said, “We need to show documentation and accountability for every dollar spent under the CARES Act. The memo describes the process and procedure for transferring unspent dollars from the CARES Act to the Hardship Fund. It guides our divisions and programs to reconcile funds spent or committed, what is pending and to help determine the exact amount of unspent funds so that we know exactly how much will be available for direct assistance to the people.
Nez said he would explain the process in more detail at his next virtual meeting. In the meantime, “We must remember that we are in this fight against COVID-19 together,” he said. “As elected leaders, we should not create a division among the Navajo people. Rather, we need to communicate with each other directly, resolve issues, and ensure that those funds are spent for all of our employees.
“The sharing of disinformation must stop now,” he said. “I pray for all of our people and our leaders because the only way to prosper is to work together.”
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