The Latest: US Tribes want flexibility on virus relief funds

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Tribes across the United States are wrestling with competing needs, restrictive laws and inadequate staffing as they try to meet a tight federal deadline on spending billions of dollars in virus relief funds.

Congress set aside $8 billion for tribes that must be spent by the end of the year and meet strict federal guidelines. Otherwise, the tribes risk having to send it back.

Officials on the vast Navajo Nation have received $714 million in aid but approved just $60 million for health care, protective equipment and front-line workers against the virus.

Rifts between the tribal government’s legislative and executive branches have delayed putting more of the money to use.

Under the Treasury Department guidelines, the money can’t be spent on items already budgeted, back-filling lost revenue or per-capita payments. Tribes nationwide are lobbying their congressional delegation to extend the spending deadline and allow for more flexibility.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— India passes 800,000 cases, with record daily jump of more than 27,000

— Trump undercuts health experts for reopening in schools debate

— US bets on untested company to deliver COVID-19 vaccine

— International students worried about a new immigration policy that could potentially cost them their visas s ay they feel stuck between unnecessary exposure during the coronavirus pandemic and finishing their studies in America.

— South Africa’s confirmed coronavirus cases have doubled in two weeks to a quarter-million. Inequality concerns are growing as health workers seek better protection while some among the rich are hoarding equipment.

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