Judge: US Not Unreasonably Delaying Virus Relief for Tribes

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A federal judge says the U.S. Treasury Department is not unreasonably delaying the release of coronavirus relief funding to Native American tribes.

The department is tasked with disbursing $8 billion to tribes that was included in a relief package approved in late March.

Payments didn't start going out until more than a week after the April 26 deadline set by Congress.

Despite that, the federal judge rejected an assertion that the Treasury secretary was “twiddling his thumbs.”

The judge's ruling comes in a case tribal nations filed against the federal government to force the release of the entire $8 billion.