May 28, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 100 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H2353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COVID-19 ON THE NAVAJO NATION

  (Mr. LUJAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LUJAN. Madam Speaker, since the beginning of this crisis, I have 
heard from Tribal leaders about the human tragedy of COVID-19 on the 
Navajo Nation: whole families ravaged by the disease, doctors 
overwhelmed by the surging cases, and insufficient Federal help.
  These leaders are sounding the alarm for a community in crisis, and I 
have been working to ensure the medical professionals who serve the 
Navajo Nation have every tool at their disposal to treat patients and 
protect themselves.
  But instead of doing right by the Navajo Nation, this administration, 
ProPublica found, awarded a $3 million contract for personal protective 
equipment to an 11-day-old company headed by a former White House 
staffer. As a result, the IHS received hundreds of thousands of masks 
that may be unsuitable for medical use.
  This lack of leadership endangers lives. That is why I am working 
with the New Mexico delegation and our colleagues from Arizona to hold 
the Trump administration accountable.
  The Navajo Nation deserves the full support of the Federal Government 
during this crisis and not to have this administration turn a blind eye 
while the Nation loses one more parent, grandparent, son, or daughter. 
This administration must act as an honest partner to the Navajo people, 
and I will fight to ensure that happens.

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