FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2024

Contact: Amelia Joy

Gov. Noem Calls for Audit of Federal Funding to SD Tribes

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem called for the Biden Administration to conduct public and comprehensive single audits of all federal funds that have been given to South Dakota’s nine Native American tribes. The primary purpose of this audit would be to verify the need for additional law enforcement resources from the federal government on these tribal reservations. You can find Governor Noem’s letter here.

“Law enforcement in Indian Country is failing to meet basic safety needs,” wrote Governor Noem. “For years, the level of actual funding drastically underestimates the true breadth of the challenges of Indian Country, made worse by the failed border policies of the Biden Administration and exacerbated by the presence of drug cartel operations on South Dakota tribal reservations. To understand the funding level that is necessary to keep these communities safe, I am calling on the Biden Administration to conduct a comprehensive and public audit of all federal funds to South Dakota’s nine Native American tribes.”

The letter was sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, and U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro.

“I stand ready to advocate for more public safety dollars and have even shown a willingness to use state resources to fill the gap that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has left. But there must be accountability and transparency to further these efforts,” concluded Governor Noem.

Last month, Governor Noem urged the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to address public safety on Native American reservations across the United States.

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