U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to give Montana Tribes more flexibility to utilize funding from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). The letter asks Mnuchin and Meadows to expand the definition of allowable CRF incurred expenses to include projects that will be substantially completed by 2021.
“…while tribes will be able to purchase masks and other short-term life goods before the end of 2020, the requirement that ‘performance or delivery must occur during the covered period’ severely handicaps tribes’ ability to use these funds for some of their most pressing needs in responding to Coronavirus and largely defeats the purpose of the fund,” Daines wrote. “Updating the guidance to allow tribes and other CRF eligible entities to complete essential public health infrastructure projects will honor the intent of the CARES Act and address the ongoing needs of communities during the pandemic.”
To read the letter, which Daines sent with Senator Martha McSally of Arizona, click HERE.
Starting these critical public health projects with CRF funds is not allowed under current CRF guidance. Extending the deadline will allow Montana Tribes to complete their most significant pandemic response projects, including the construction of health care facilities and improvements to water infrastructure.
Background:
Daines has been leading the efforts in Congress to respond to the coronavirus outbreak impacting the country. To read about Daines’ COVID-19 related efforts, click HERE.