Tina Smith: “I rise today, with my colleague, the Senator from New Mexico, Tom Udall, to call for urgent action by Congress to…”

“I rise today, with my colleague, the Senator from New Mexico, Tom Udall, to call for urgent action by Congress to respond to the needs of Tribal nations and urban indigenous communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have not done enough. We have not lived up to our shared trust and treaty obligations. And in this moment, we are called upon to respond to the historic injustice and systems of oppression and institutional violence that are harming communities of color and indigenous people. Over the last month, people in Minnesota and across our country have focused our attention on the deep systemic inequities that Black, Brown, and indigenous people face. This injustice is not new. It is as old as the colonization of our country, but, colleagues, this is a unique moment. This public health crisis presents us with an opportunity to show that we are serious about repairing the damage done by our broken promises to sovereign Tribal nations and urban indigenous communities. Some have said that COVID-19 is the great equalizer, but we know that COVID hits hardest those without a safe place to call home, those struggling with low wages and poverty and lack of healthcare, and Black, Brown, and indigenous people living with the trauma of having their identity and their very humanity called into question, even before this virus spread. The impact of COVID on Native communities has been devastating.…”