Mr. Tribal President and Tribal Council, Where Did Tribal Members Federal LIHEAP Funds Go?

 Rosebud Sioux Tribal Members know we have a very had winter this year, a winter that's not been experienced for decades.  With that being said, the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council approved ARPA funds for Tribal Members electricity and/or propane in the approved dollar amount.  Tribal Members completed an application process and once approved, they received a large credit on their electricity account or received propane on the allotted amount until such approved funds were out for this individual Tribal Member household.  

This was a good gesture on behalf of the Tribal Council at this time.  The Tribal Council acted within the Tribal Constitution under Article IV, Section 1 - (q) To provide for the protection of all minors, mentally incompetent, and others who need protection or assistance for reason of health, age, or other extenuating circumstances.

Well, we have a very serious issue with the Federal LIHEAP money now.  The serious problem we have is, Tribal Members are now being discriminated against in relation to the Federal appropriated LIHEAP funds.  We all know what the Federal guidelines are for the LIHEAP winter heating season.  We know these Federal Guidelines as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe LIHEAP Director does public service announcements explaining the winter heating season and the Federal LIHEAP guidelines to the Tribal Membership.

We all fill out the LIHEAP application, with all the required documents needed to be approved per the Federal Congressional Act and the Federal guidelines contained in the Federal LIHEAP Act.  Once a Tribal Member is approved for Federal LIHEAP per the Federal guidelines, a letter is mailed out by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe LIHEAP Office signed by the RST LIHEAP Director.  Th RST LIHEAP Director tells us to hold on to this letter as it states the approved monthly amount of Federal LIHEAP funds each Tribal Member is approved for the winter heating season.  The letter from the RST LIHEAP Director mailed to Tribal Members is in accordance to the Federal LIHEAP Act.

So Tribal Members are approved for over half the year to receive Federal LIHEAP assistance funds through the Rosebud Sioux Tribe LIHEAP Office.  I can go back to recorded Tribal Council meeting after Tribal Council meeting with the RST LIHEAP Director on the Council Floor referring to the Tribal Program as Federal LIHEAP.  You are not a Federal Program, you are not a Federal employee, you are a Tribal employee, employed within a Tribal Program that receives Federal funding.  The Federal part referred only pertains to a Federal Congressional Act with Federal guidelines, guideline supported by Federal law and protected against discrimination.

So, the Tribal Membership received a large amount of ARPA funds credited to their utility accounts until such time the credit was used up.  Then Tribal Members received letter signed and/or approved by the RST LIHEAP Director explaining they will be no longer receiving LIHEAP assistance as the winter heating season ended.  This letter explains the guidelines who can qualify for the LIHEAP assistance for  the summer months.  

Well, the troubling issue is, what happened to the remaining amount of the approved Federal LIHEAP funds Tribal Members were approved for the whole winter heating season.  If Tribal Members were approved ARPA funds for utilities, this ARPA funding was used for Tribal Members, then the allotted and approved Federal LIHEAP funds should have been sitting in an account at this time.  If the Federal LIHEAP funds were sitting in an account because ARPA funds were being used, once the ARPA funds ran out, then the remaining Federal LIHEAP funds Tribe Members were approved for should carry over for the remaining months until such time that allotted amount approved per Federal guidelines ran out.

I want the Rosebud Sioux Tribal President and Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council to provide the Tribal Membership with the Federal policy that states the RST LIHEAP Director has the authority to supersede Federal LIHEAP Guidelines.  I know no such policy exists superseding Federal LIHEAP Guidelines so this is blatant discrimination against Tribal Members with Federal funding involved.  This is mismanagement of Federal LIHEAP funds by the RST LIHEAP Director arbitrarily and illegally taking approved LIHEAP funds per guidelines away from Tribal Members.

I want to see the RST LIHEAP Director present her tissue box demonstration on Tribal Council floor degrading Tribal Members again for all us to see.  This is blatant arrogance and ignorance to the big picture and labeling Tribal Members as a whole and not individually.  The arrogant part of it is the Tribal President allows Tribal Members to be treated this way as well as the Tribal Council.  The ignorant part of it by the RST LIHEAP Director with the tissue box demonstration is, inflation, the cost of fuel, the everyday rising cost of food, and cost of personal hygiene products to present day.

You have 6,000 plus able bodied Tribal Members who can work, yet you have 50 jobs posted daily for 6,000 tribal members to compete for on the Tribal website.  Yet you have a MAGA Republican mentality of cut them off, they can get a job, they need to manager their money.  Who are you to dictate to Tribe Members living on fixed income who work for 10, 11, 12 dollars an hour expecting to make ends meet.  I want elected officials to come back to reality and live like us common people, who don't have the luxury of a high paid salary to get tribal funds at will.  Climb down in the trenches and visit with us who are giving to hell everyday to make ends meet and feed out children.

Remember the big picture, school is out, we are now feeding our children three times a day, some family two times a day, and some families once day to make sure the food stretches throughout the month.  This is the reality of the big picture and when you lock us out of a public building and don't answer your phones, it's easy to be ignorant to these issues we face daily as common people.  So I invite you to the trenches of daily survival with us Tribal Members to get a snapshot of the reality of the BIG PICTURE.  Don't label us straight across the board, because we are all different and experience different struggles daily.

When Tribal Government has a constitutional oath to provide protection of minors, mentally incompetent, any others (TRIBAL MEMBERS) who need PROTECTION or ASSISTANCE for reason of health, age or other EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES (NO ELECTRICITY, NO PROPANE COOK STOVE, AND NO HOT WATER).  I challenge or elected officials to live without electricity, without propane, no propane to cook, or to take daily cold showers.  Would you want your children or yourself to live like this for four months?  Stop pretending nothing exists outside of them closed Tribal Council Chambers and open your eyes and read your constitutional duties and honor your oath.

I'm a person to call the kettle black when warranted but I also give credit where credit is due regardless of opinion or disagreed actions.  We had former LIHEAP Director who is a sitting Tribal Council Rep who took a beating from past Tribal Councils for having a big heart and compassion for the people.  This woman, former Director, and Council Rep fought for the little people who couldn't speak up to make sure Tribal Members and their children did not have to live like back in the 1800's.  Now we get a letter in the mail stating your LIHEAP Services have ended and that's that.

I challenge this Council Rep to light that fire again for the Tribal Membership and challenge the other 19 Tribal Council Reps to answer this question for the Tribal Membership.

If we were approved an allotted monthly amount for number of months for the winter heating season, we received ARPA funds for utilities, what happened to the remaining months of Federal LIHEAP funds not used?  If we were approved for certain amount for certain amount of months, the full approved allocation per Federal guidelines was not used, why are we being denied Federal approved funds?  Please provide the Tribal Membership with the Federal Policy, Federal Guidelines that states, the RST LIHEAP Director decisions supersede Federal Guidelines. 

So we have Tribal Member Discrimination issue that is serious or we have mismanagement of Federal funds issue.  So the discrimination part is denying tribal members the full allotted amount approved by Federal Guidelines and, the mismanagement part is you should have used the Federal LIHEAP Funds FIRST then ARPA funds second to assist tough the summer months.  Regardless the Tribal Membership who qualified for Federal LIHEAP are owed what they were approved for.

My final question for our elected officials is, are you conformable knowing this happened, are you even aware this happened, and how are you going to make it right to the Tribal Membership who qualified for Federal LIHEAP fund per the Federal guidelines.  This all lies on the Tribal President to come up with a plan to fix the serious issue or is he comfortable sleeping at night knowing Tribal Members have no electricity, propane, or in some cases, don't have electricity or propane.  What is your plan to fix this issue and address the RST LIHEAP Director on how this issue was handled.  

How are you going to fix this issue Tribal Council's?  You can shoot arrows my way and say he's just campaigning. The fact is, I've been writing for over a year, countless Tribal Members come to me and ask these questions I asked in this article, so no its about children, basic needs of humanity, and protecting us as Tribal Members.  You forgot about us, you are taking care of yourself very well at Tribal headquarters while the Tribal Membership have been ignored and deal with these issues and questions you ignore.  We are not less than human, we are human, and we demand answers and how are you going to fix this.

I challenge Tribal Council Reps to go set at the kitchen table of Tribal Members within the communities you live in and see the reality of the big picture outside of them Tribal Council Chambers.

Respectfully,

Hawkeye Waln