American Rescue Plan

The American Rescue Plan was President Biden’s bold legislative package that helped address the public health and economic crises that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. The law contained several provisions that funded Interior Department initiatives and benefited the communities we serve, including Tribal governments and schools.

COVID-19 exacted an especially high toll in Indian Country. People living on reservations were four times more likely to have COVID-19 and American Indian and Alaska Native people were nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than white Americans. Indigenous families and small businesses also faced severe economic challenges associated with the pandemic.  

Across the federal government, the law made a historic $31.2 billion investment in Tribal communities. At the Interior Department, this included:

• $900 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, including direct aid payments to Tribal governments and funding to address concerns related to housing and potable water:
  • $772.5 million for Tribal government services, public safety and justice, social services, child welfare assistance, and other related expenses;  
  • $100 million for Tribal housing improvements;  
  • $20 million to provide and deliver potable water; and  
  • $7.5 million for related federal administrative costs and oversight.  
• $850 million for the Bureau of Indian Education to support BIE-funded schools, and Tribal colleges and universities:
  • $535.5 million for 183 K-12 schools in the BIE’s school system;
  • $229.5 million for Tribal Colleges and Universities;  
  • $85 million for BIE School Operations for investments, such as the buildout of a Learning Management System and facility ventilation improvement projects.

The American Rescue Plan also made an unprecedented investment in addressing wildlife-related pandemic concerns, including directing $105 million for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to address wildlife trafficking, disease outbreaks and inspections, and for research to strengthen early detection, rapid response and science-based management to address wildlife disease outbreaks before they become pandemics and strengthen capacity for wildlife health monitoring.