Warren calls for look into coronavirus impact on Native American rights

written by Paul Goldberg May 28, 2020

TheHill reports Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has teamed up with the co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus to request more information on how the COVID-19 pandemic is facing native communities in the U.S.

Along with Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), Warren wrote to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) on Wednesday, warning that existing economic hardships felt by Native Americans around the U.S. had only been made noticeably worse by the pandemic.

“The Administration’s failure to uphold the trust responsibility to provide adequate relief, health services, and public safety resources to tribal communities has exacerbated the pandemic’s impact. This failure requires the Commission’s voice,” the two wrote.

The letter comes as Democrats have sought more action from the federal government on coronavirus relief but have been unsuccessful in convincing Republicans to bring a second stimulus package, the HEROES Act, to a vote in the Senate.

February of 2019, Elizabeth Warren apologized for her Native American ancestry claims.

A DNA test Warren took showed only a tiny fraction of ancestry.

Warren listed her race as ‘American Indian’ on a 1986 State Bar of Texas registration card.