Noem calls for audit of federal funding for South Dakota tribes

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is calling on the Biden Administration to conduct an audit of all federal funds given to the state’s nine Native American tribes.

Noem is requesting the audit to verify the need for additional law enforcement resources from the federal government.

She says law enforcement in Indian Country is failing to meet basic safety needs. Noem says, “the level of actual funding drastically underestimates the true breadth of the challenges of Indian Country.”

Noem says she has even shown a willingness to use state resources to fill the gap that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has left. She says there must be accountability and transparency.

March 27, 2024