High court takes up case on virus relief funding for tribes

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a case that will determine who is eligible for more than $530 million in federal virus relief funding set aside for tribes last year.

More than a dozen Native American tribes sued the U.S. Treasury Department to limit the funding to tribes that have a political relationship with the U.S.

The Treasury Department says corporations that provide services to Alaska Natives should be eligible, too. Lower courts have split on the question.

The case could have broader impacts on who qualifies as a tribe for federal contracting and compacts.