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TUCSON, Ariz. — Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, will host a live streamed roundtable with Native American leaders this Friday, April 17, at 1:00 p.m. - EDT on the Trump administration’s botched response to the coronavirus pandemic in Indian Country. 

As Politico, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Postand other outlets have reported, the administration has been slow to assist tribal communities since the outbreak began even though they are among the most vulnerable populations in the country due to decades of federal neglect. 

Confirmed speakers include:

 

  • Chair Grijalva
  •  Peggy Flanagan, lieutenant governor of Minnesota
  • Jonathan Nez, president of the Navajo Nation, which currently reports the highest per capita infection rate outside of New York and New Jersey
  • Michael Chavarria, governor of the Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico
  • Jerilyn Church, chief executive officer of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board
  • Diana Zirul, vice chairwoman of the Alaska Native Health Board

In March, the Committee launched an online Coronavirus Resource Center at https://bit.ly/2WwiPjo that includes information for Native American communities and a special form for tribes to describe their coronavirus experiences at https://bit.ly/2IZFWur.

Event Details

When: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, April 17

Where: On YouTube at https://youtu.be/a3smVe4dF5c and Facebook at https://bit.ly/34z1qsg

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