State of the Union Address by President Donald J. Trump February 5th, 2019
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Senator Murray Announces Millions in Federal Housing Funding for Washington State Tribes During COVID-19 Pandemic

The more than $42 million in federal awards come as part of the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Program, which Senator Murray successfully worked to strengthen funding for in past spending bills and has fought to protect 

A senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray helped secure more than $10 billion for Tribes in the CARES Act last year

Senator Murray: “I’ll continue working to ensure Native communities get the resources they need to remain safely housed and combat the health and economic harm of this pandemic”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced millions in federal housing funding to support Washington state Tribes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The awards, which total $42,395,320 for Tribes across Washington state, will be distributed through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program. The IHBG program provides funding to Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) to carry out affordable housing activities, such as developing, maintaining, and operating housing, with a focus on providing housing and other resources for Tribal families with low incomes.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened inequities in housing that Tribal members across Washington state were already facing, we need to keep investing in programs like the Indian Housing Block Grant that provide Tribes with the flexible resources they need to combat the housing crisis we are seeing throughout Indian Country,” Senator Murray said. “As a proud partner for Tribes in Washington state and across the country, I’ll continue working to ensure Native communities get the resources they need to remain safely housed and combat the health and economic harm of this pandemic.”

According to a 2017 report by HUD, before the pandemic more than 50% of Tribal households in the Pacific Northwest qualified as low-income (less than 80% of median income). The report also detailed the extent to which households in Tribal areas deal with physical housing deficiencies, such as heating or plumbing deficiencies, at a much higher rate than other U.S. households. These housing issues are only exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, as key Tribal businesses are forced to close and thousands remain unemployed.

Last year, Senator Murray fought to include more than $10 billion in funding for Tribes in the CARES Act, and announced the allocation of more than $12 million in awards for Washington state Tribes in the first round of federal funding in 2020 to support Tribal housing efforts. She has made clear that she will continue fighting for more funding to address the specific needs of Tribal communities in Washington state, and to ensure that federal funds for Tribes are promptly and properly distributed.

In her role as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray has successfully fought for increased funding for the IHBG Program, which helps to combat housing issues specifically plaguing Tribal communities—in particular, Tribal families who are low-income. Last year she succeeded in her fight despite a staunch push from the Trump Administration to cut funding for this crucial program in his 2021 budget plan.

See a full breakdown of the $42,395,320 in federal awards going to Washington state Tribes below.

































State

Tribe

City

Final Allocation

WA

Chehalis Confederated Tribes

Oakville

$1,061,087

WA

Colville Confederated Tribes

Nespelem

$5,384,662

WA

Cowlitz Indian Tribe

Longview

$1,552,350

WA

Hoh Indian Tribe

Forks

$125,952

WA

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe

Sequim

$301,939

WA

Kalispel Indian Community

Usk

$267,363

WA

Lower Elwha Tribal Community

Port Angeles

$591,543

WA

Lummi Tribe

Bellingham

$3,287,194

WA

Makah Indian Tribe

Neah Bay

$883,138

WA

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe

Auburn

$1,612,084

WA

Nisqually Indian Tribe

Olympia

$535,962

WA

Nooksack Indian Tribe

Deming

$825,710

WA

Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe

Kingston

$990,970

WA

Puyallup Tribe

Tacoma

$3,250,983

WA

Quileute Tribe

La Push

$649,322

WA

Quinault Indian Nation

Taholah

$1,977,155

WA

Samish Indian Nation

Anacortes

$903,427

WA

Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe

Darrington

$551,605

WA

Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe

Tokeland

$224,404

WA

Skokomish Indian Tribe

Skokomish Nation

$590,051

WA

Snoqualmie Indian Tribe

Snoqualmie

$249,938

WA

Spokane Tribe

Wellpinit

$2,357,312

WA

Squaxin Island Tribe

Shelton

$832,687

WA

Stillaguamish Tribe

Arlington

$227,868

WA

Suquamish Indian Tribe

Suquamish

$835,215

WA

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community

La Conner

$1,208,375

WA

Tulalip Tribes

Tulalip

$3,388,559

WA

Upper Skagit Tribe

Sedro Woolley

$1,472,112

WA

Yakama Indian Nation

Toppenish

$6,256,353

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