Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Does the March 2021 relief package include the largest one-time commitment to Native American programs in US history?

Saturday, March 13, 2021

By Stevie Rosignol-Cortez

Copy link

Copy featured image

YES

According to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law on March 11, 2021, includes the largest one-time commitment to Native American programs in U.S. history.

More than $31.2 billion dollars was directed to various programs, funding efforts related to health, housing, education, child care, businesses and even language preservation.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control, Native American communities have been hit disproportionately hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with a rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases 3.5 times that for non-Hispanic whites. The CDC attributes this to health and socioeconomic disparities, as well as “reliance on shared transportation” and “limited access to running water.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

US Senate: Committee on Indian Affairs—More than $31 billion heading to Native communities

US House of Representatives: American Rescue Plan, 2021

Centers for Disease Control: COVID-19 impact on Native communities

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF BY

Latest fact briefs

About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.