Crow Tribe Budget Shortfall

Q2 reports that the Inspector General of the Interior Department says the Crow Tribe can’t account for nearly $14.5 million in federal transportation grants from 2016, according to a federal audit released Monday. The IG Office report states the tribe failed to track expense reports, provide supporting documents for the contracts or submit a single audit for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2016. The contracts were part of a Tribal Transportation Agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, designed to provide engineering, construction and maintenance for transportation infrastructure. The events described in the audit report took place during the tenure of former Chairman Darrin Old Coyote. Current Chairman A.J. Not Afraid has yet to respond. The problems came to light when the contractor managing the tribe’s finances was let go in July 2017 due to a budget shortfall.