Noem calls for audit of tribes; ICT News/Rapid City Journal reporter finds the receipts

Articles on Governor Kristi Noem's possible career as a Trump running mate grace the pages of the Wall Street Journal (Kristina Peterson's Is VP Contender Kristi Noem Ready for Prime Time?) and Bloomberg (Patricia Lopez's Kristi Noem as a VP Is ‘Straight Out of Central Casting’).

Not surprisingly, those headlines remind Bluestem of my own October 2022 post, What the hell was that? Governor Kristi Noem butt of Saturday Night Live cold opening schtick. The SNL cast hasn't been the Not Ready for Prime Time Players since the first three seasons beginning in the mid-1970s, so that's one joke I can't make.

Meanwhile here in the Rushmore State, Noem's pursuing her branding of the Oceti Šakowiŋ being cartel cronies, now demanding that federal monies be audited. From South Dakota's March 26 press release, 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. . . .

That take was dutifully reported by South Dakota media, in stories like Keloland's Gov. Noem wants federal funding audit of SD Tribes and Dakota Scout's  Gov. Kristi Noem calls on Biden Administration to audit tribal finances.

Jeepers gee golly holy cartel willikers! Dog-whistling stereotypes about tribal nations receiving endless federal funds with no oversight! 

As readers may remember from Bluestem posts like  Winner, Noem links tribal leaders to cartels, Malice: she's on it. Tribal leaders insulted after Governor Noem claims they "are personally benefiting from the cartels being here"  and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chair responds to Noem's latest linking tribes to drug cartels.   Noem's been more than dog whistlinng anti-Indian stereotypes since her border crisis speech to the South Dakota state legislature at the end of January in which she claimed Drug cartels have infiltrated reservations.

Fortunately, Amelia Schafer, reporting for ICT (Indian Country Today) and the Rapid City Journal, has the receipts for those audits in Kristi Noem calls for audit of tribes:

RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem issued a statement Tuesday calling for the Biden administration to conduct single audits of all federal funds given to the nine Oceti Sakowin tribes in South Dakota.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Comptroller Gene Dodaro, Noem asked for comprehensive single audits of federal funds given to the nine tribes in South Dakota.

Specifically, Noem, a Republican, asked for an OMB Circular-A-133 audit, which is an organization-wide financial statement and federal-awards audit of a non-federal entity which expends $750,000 or more in federal funds per year.

“If single audits of these tribes have been occurring, it is not transparent as single audits are not publicly available,” Noem said in the March 26 letter. “I encourage members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs and U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to demand a review of each single audit, inquire as to why an audit is not complete, and report on how each tribe is managing audit findings to improve eligibility for federal programs.” [This text is from the letter here]

Tribes are already required by law to have audited financial statements and compliance audits. The Single Audit Act requires an annual audit of all non-federal entities that spend over $750,000 in Federal Financial Assistance, including tribes, every fiscal year.

Records from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, a searchable database of organizations, show prior to 2020 a majority of the nine tribes in South Dakota regularly completed detailed audits. Following 2020, the process became difficult for tribes according to leaders. An influx of funding for COVID-19 relief caused issues backlogging the process and overwhelming the treasurers.

In a January 2024 Oglala Sioux Tribe Tribal Council meeting, Treasurer Cora White Horse reported the 2020 audit is estimated to be completed by May 2024, the 2021 audit by August 2024 and the 2022 audit by December 2024.

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe all completed audits for the 2022 fiscal year, the most recently available period. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s 2022 and 2021 audits are available to the public and can be downloaded via the Federal Audit Clearinghouse. . . .

Jeepers. Who knew? Here's the link to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

Bluestem encourages readers to read the entire article at eithervenue and consider making a donation:

This story is co-published by the Rapid City Journal and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the South Dakota area.

Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter. 

Donations to ICTNews can also be made through April 2 via this link to Arizona Gives Day. Schafer is the Indigenous Affairs reporter for ICT and the Rapid City Journal. She is of Wampanoag and Montauk-Brothertown Indian Nation descent.

 

Update: the article has been republished by South Dakota Searchlight. I republish it below under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

 

Most tribes were completing financial audits prior to Noem call for scrutiny
By Amelia Schafer

 

Governor called for ‘single audits’ after comments on crime on reservations

RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem issued a statement this week calling for the Biden administration to conduct single audits of all federal funds given to the nine Oceti Sakowin tribes in South Dakota.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Comptroller Gene Dodaro, Noem asked for comprehensive single audits of federal funds given to the nine tribes in South Dakota.

Specifically, Noem, a Republican, asked for an OMB Circular-A-133 audit, which is an organization-wide financial statement and federal-awards audit of a non-federal entity which expends $750,000 or more in federal funds per year.

“If single audits of these tribes have been occurring, it is not transparent as single audits are not publicly available,” Noem said in the March 26 letter. “I encourage members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs and U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to demand a review of each single audit, inquire as to why an audit is not complete, and report on how each tribe is managing audit findings to improve eligibility for federal programs.”

Tribes are already required by law to have audited financial statements and compliance audits. The Single Audit Act requires an annual audit of all non-federal entities that spend over $750,000 in Federal Financial Assistance, including tribes, every fiscal year.

Records from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, a searchable database of organizations, show prior to 2020 a majority of the nine tribes in South Dakota regularly completed detailed audits. Following 2020, the process became difficult for tribes according to leaders. An influx of funding for COVID-19 relief caused issues backlogging the process and overwhelming the treasurers.

In a January 2024 Oglala Sioux Tribe Tribal Council meeting, Treasurer Cora White Horse reported the 2020 audit is estimated to be completed by May 2024, the 2021 audit by August 2024 and the 2022 audit by December 2024.

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe all completed audits for the 2022 fiscal year, the most recently available period. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s 2022 and 2021 audits are available to the public and can be downloaded via the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

In the statement, Noem said she is calling for a financial audit to verify the need for more law enforcement funding provided to tribal nations while also reiterating her claim that drug cartels are operating on tribal land in South Dakota.

Noem’s letter referenced Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out’s Dec 20, 2023 testimony to the U.S. Committee on Indian Affairs in support of OST’s lawsuit against the federal government. In the testimony, Star Comes Out cites a lack of law enforcement presence to drug cartel movement on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Noem did not respond to a request for comment, instead referring back to the March 26 press release.

“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,” Noem said in the letter.

On March 13, comments made by Noem at a town hall meeting in Mitchell, S.D. and Winner, S.D. sparked outrage amongst tribal governments in South Dakota. During the Mitchell town hall Noem attributed low graduation and attendance rates to a perceived “lack of parental involvement.” At the Winner town hall, she alleged tribal governments are benefitting from cartel presence on their reservations.

In the days following these comments, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe all condemned Noem’s statements.

“Governor Noem’s wild and irresponsible attempt to connect tribal leaders and parents with Mexican drug cartels is a sad reflection of her fear-based-politics that do nothing to bring people together and solve problems,” said Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairwoman Janet Alkire in a March 20 press release.

Alkire added only seven police officers patrol the over 1 million-acre Standing Rock Reservation. Currently, only two officers can patrol the reservation’s 12,000-person population at one time.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe and Crow Creek Sioux Tribe have previously voiced similar issues. Both reservations have a limited number of police officers to patrol reservation lands despite their vast land bases.

On Jan. 31, Noem first claimed cartels are operating on tribal land in South Dakota – specifically the Pine Ridge and Lake Traverse Reservations. Following these allegations, Noem was banned for a second time from the Pine Ridge Reservation and held a meeting with the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate in which she apologized for naming the tribe.

Following Noem’s March 13 comments, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman Garrett Renville reiterated his request that no tribal governments be singled out when discussing drug cartel and law enforcement concerns. [end update]

Photo: Governor Noem as she talks about tribal leaders "personally benefitting from the cartels being here." From a Governor Noem's Facebook Watch video.

 

Related posts

• Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chair responds to Noem's latest linking tribes to drug cartels
• Malice: she's on it. Tribal leaders insulted after Governor Noem claims they "are personally benefiting from the cartels being here
• In Winner, Noem links tribal leaders to cartels
• SWO Dakota to Governor Noem: don't single out reservations when drugs are a statewide problem
• Noem banned from Pine Ridge Reservation over remarks in border speech to state legislature
• Explaining and gaining? Noem concedes Texas costs were gift to Lone Star state; meets with two South Dakota House tribal members
• Drug cartels have infiltrated reservations, Noem says, but some tribal voices call speech ‘political’
• Noem to address Legislature on ‘potential South Dakota response’ to Mexico border situation
• No word on who paid or if she packed razor wire: Noem travels again to Texas-Mexico border
• South Dakota Searchlight: Tribal leaders urge legislators to support reestablishment of Lake Traverse Reservation boundaries

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