(bright music) (suspenseful music) - Welcome to "The Newsfeed", I'm Paris Jackson.

Washington is still dealing with the ripple effect of the pandemic.

Today, we're digging into the delays and administrative barriers some state indigenous tribes faced after the federal government promised to provide billions in pandemic aid.

You'll hear what tribal groups we spoke with say made it harder for them to get help.

Cascade PBS Investigative multimedia reporter, Jaelynn Grisso, gives us a closer look inside the headaches Washington tribes dealt with.

- There are times when the federal government will say, "We're gonna provide assistance," but then they put so many barriers or policies or red tape around a dollar that it's almost unusable.

- Early in the pandemic, the US Department of Treasury faced an urgent deadline to distribute $150 billion in federal aid, and they did it for cities, states, and territories, for every eligible recipient, except tribes.

Getting the allotted $8 billion out to tribes took another seven weeks.

Nearly two months longer than any other recipient.

A federal report later concluded that a lack of tribal knowledge led to delays and administrative burdens on aid that often made it difficult for tribes to access help.

Luke Strong-Cvetich, who is not a tribal member, but works for the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Planning Office, told me the amount of funding opportunities alone made them difficult to access.

- The sheer amount of opportunities that were available surpassed any tribe's capacity, and there wasn't a lot of coordination at the agency level to recognize this burden that, you know, historic levels of funding opportunities imposed on, well, I think all tribal governments, but especially on small and rural tribal governments.

- Nicholaus Lewis, a council member for the Lummi Nation and chairman of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board said the biggest hurdle is a lack of tribal knowledge.

- People in the federal government, or the state government, or the county government, they don't understand the tribes.

One of the biggest struggles that I've experienced is that we have to continuously reeducate.

- Several federal programs were not designed to match the needs of tribes, including the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program.

The program excluded gaming businesses, which are a large source of employment for many tribes.

Even more, SBA did not consult with tribes until 11 days after they began accepting applications.

The administration also did not update its eligibility requirements until the first wave of funding totaling $349 billion was already exhausted.

The GAO report highlighted that better consultation with tribes could help, but the biggest takeaway is that programs should distribute funds using mechanisms that foster more tribal autonomy.

- Tribes always are gonna know what's best for them, and having a federal agency tell a tribe what to do during a pandemic, you know, a period of extreme uncertainty wasn't super meaningful.

- Both the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and the Lummi Nation have those legal agreements and made significant investments using federal support.

The Jamestown S'Klallam tribe was one of the first in the state to offer a drive-through vaccination clinic for seniors in Sequim, and the Lummi Nation was one of the first in the US to be able to administer vaccinations.

For Dr. Dakota Lane, who oversaw the Lummi Nation's response to Covid-19, the federal funding was critical to providing care for both tribal members and the broader community.

- There is no replacement for the federal government.

The funds, or that do or do not come from the federal government directly impact our ability to provide care.

- [Jaelynn] In Blin, Jaelynn Grisso, Cascade PBS.

(gentle upbeat music) - The Seattle Aquarium recently opened its brand new $170 million ocean pavilion.

The highly anticipated feature is an oculus suspended above the entrance to this grand tropical Pacific showcase.

The 500,000 gallon tank is home to an array of tropical species, including a leopard shark, unicorn fish, and we hear at least one very cute clown trigger fish.

I'm Paris Jackson, thank you for watching "The Newsfeed", your destination for nonprofit Northwest News.

Go to cascade pbs.org for more.

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