The chair and vice chair of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) have praised President Donald J. Trump for his administration’s efforts in responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin and Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt released a joint statement explaining how $4.8 billion in critical relief funds will be distributed to tribal governments across the nation. Payments to the tribes themselves based on population allocation were to begin that same day and continue over the next several banking days.
PCI Chairman and CEO Stephanie A. Bryan on Wednesday released a statement responding to this announcement.
“I want to thank President Trump and his Administration for listening to the concerns expressed by all of Indian Country and ensuring funding for Native American tribes included in the CARES Act is promptly distributed in a fair and equitable manner, to meet the emergency needs created by the Covid-19 disaster,” she said.
“These actions by the Trump Administration and Congress to meet this unprecedented emergency will help eliminate immediate suffering, and lay the groundwork for a successful economic recovery,” Bryan concluded.
A release from PCI explained that the federal funds will allow the tribe to mitigate damage caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Tribal Vice Chair Robbie McGhee added, “President Trump and his Administration, along with our Congressional allies and representatives, have been great to work with during this time. I look forward to continuing to work together on the relief ours and so many other Tribes need during this pandemic.”
PCI is the only federally recognized tribe in the state of Alabama.
The tribe has been a leader in supporting local community and health care sector responses to the pandemic. This includes PCI recently donating $1 million to an area hospital. The tribe’s hospitality arm voluntarily closed all of its gaming facilities in the state and abroad at the beginning of the outbreak. These facilities remain closed as of this writing.
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Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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