Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has approved $557 million in relief funds to the tribal members amidst this new wave of the coronavirus pandemic, KRQE reported.
"Remember, we're not out of this pandemic yet," Navajo President Jonathan Nez said. "So don't go and spend all this money. Put some aside, the pandemic is still here. Plan."
Each member of the tribe will receive a $2,000 check, and all children will receive a $600 check. This widespread financial assistance is rare, mainly because the Navajo Nation does not issue any per capita payments to its tribal members. Under separate legislation, Nez had previously issued $300 checks to all the tribal residents who are more than 60 years of age and showed that they required additional assistance.
Nez urged tribe members to use the money to pay down outstanding bills. The tribe's numbers rose from 306,000 to nearly 400,000 as people enrolled in the tribe to receive the stimulus check.
In total, the tribe paid around $360 million to 312,000 members who applied. The Navajo Nation also used the CARES Act fund for rolling out the first round of hardship assistance payments.