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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Service cuts loom as tribe goes without fed funding

Marcus White
Posted 1/24/19

BOIS FORTE - A handwritten “closed” sign hangs in the window at the Lake Vermilion Wellness Center.

It’s one of a handful of programs already suspended by the Bois Forte Band as federal …

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Service cuts loom as tribe goes without fed funding

Posted

BOIS FORTE - A handwritten “closed” sign hangs in the window at the Lake Vermilion Wellness Center.

It’s one of a handful of programs already suspended by the Bois Forte Band as federal finds dwindle due to the government shutdown, now at over a month.

Already, the tribe has laid off around 20 workers, with more than 30 others, including members of the Tribal Council, working reduced hours.

But even with the staffing cuts already enacted, it may not be enough to keep critical social services fully operational for much longer.

“We are thinking we can manage until the end of the February before severe cuts have to occur,” Tribal Chair Cathy Chavers said during a recent interview with the Timberjay. “Fitness and heritage centers are already closed until further notice. Transit has reduced routes. Non-contract routes have been cut to two days a week,” she added.

Additionally, officers with the Bureau of Indian Affairs have been working without pay.

Chavers said a meeting of the council on Feb. 4 will decide where the next cuts have to be made, and that services could be affected through a reduction in office hours by staff.

“We want to instill in our employees that everyone has an important position, but right now we need be more conservative to make our money last,” Chavers said. “There is a misconception that tribes have money. Bois Forte is not one of those tribes.”

According to Chavers, tribal officials have prioritized which services to spare from cutting for now, including elder care and forthcoming scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors.

While the state has been helping make up some of the funding gap, providing needed cash flow programs like SNAP, Chavers said it’s anyone’s guess whether the tribe and other social service programs will be reimbursed at the end of the shutdown.

While lawmakers in Washington have voted to provide back pay for federal employees, no such commitment has been made on replenishing state and tribal coffers for funds they’ve expended to keep programs temporarily afloat.

“We’ve talked with Sen. Tina Smith (D),” Chavers said. “She has been advocating for the tribes in regard to the shutdown, but it’s being shot down by the GOP. No one knows which programs will be reimbursed. It’s a terrible situation to be in.”

Chavers said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has also been in touch with tribes to see where the state can step up aid, even if it is only temporary.

For now, the tribe is working with its Fortune Bay Resort Casino to try and get some of the laid off workers temporary income and benefits during the shutdown. Chavers said the casino is filling some of its open positions with out-of-work tribal employees. The agreement allows for the workers to forgo the standard probationary period for benefits, so families won’t have a lapse in health coverage.

Chavers has asked other local politicians to put pressure on Washington to end the shutdown, and she hopes with enough pressure the shutdown will come to an end.

According to Chavers, tribes across the country are working with the BIA to create new federal policies that would make funding for critical tribal services non-discretionary and therefore not subject to suspension in the event of a shutdown.

Chavers said such a move would better honor treaties and trust in place between tribes and the federal government.