07.24.20

Cantwell Applauds $1.8 Million Grant to Spokane Tribe for Roadway Infrastructure, Tribal Business Development

Funding will create 200 jobs, generate nearly $13 million in private investment

WASHINGTON DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Ranking Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, applauded the announcement of a $1.8 million grant for the Spokane Tribe of Indians in Wellpinit for roadway infrastructure improvements critical for supporting business development in the region. The funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), is expected to create 200 jobs and generate nearly $13 million in private investment.

Senator Cantwell, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has been a strong advocate for Washington state Tribes. Cantwell was instrumental in securing $10 billion for Tribal funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including $12 million for affordable housing programs for Tribes in Washington state. Cantwell has repeatedly pushed for swift, effective implementation of the Tribal provisions of the CARES Act and urged Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to disperse $8 billion in critical relief funds for Tribal governments.

Cantwell has also worked closely with the Spokane Tribe on a number of key issues. Earlier this year, Cantwell joined the Spokane Tribe in Wellpinit to celebrate the signing of her legislation to provide the Tribe with equitable and just compensation for lands taken by the United States as part of the Grand Coulee Dam development project in the 1930s and 1940s.

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