Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Salt River Indian Community President Martin Harvier and Ak-Chin Indian Community Chairman Robert Miguel gathered on Dec. 11 to discuss the way the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will benefit their communities. /Photo via Gila River Indian Community
By Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror
Infrastructure issues have plagued tribal communities for decades, and with federal funding finally coming into Indian Country from the the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, many Arizona tribal leaders are looking forward to what that means for their communities.
“Infrastructure needs differ among Arizona tribes, but the one thing all Arizona tribes have in common is that throughout this pandemic, we were battling decades, decades of underfunding that left our tribal communities extremely vulnerable during this time,” Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis said at a press conference Friday. “With this funding, we now have the ability to shore up our immediate infrastructure needs and begin to put long-term solutions in place.”
The federal infrastructure spending measure has been called the single largest investment in tribal infrastructure, with more than $13 billion dollars in direct investments into Indian County.
