Navajo Nation president says no to snow emergency funds
(Felicia Fonseca | The Associated Press) Jonathan Nez addresses a crowd after he's sworn in as president of the Navajo Nation on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 in Fort Defiance, Ariz.
Window Rock, Ariz. • Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has vetoed $3 million that the Navajo Nation Council approved for an ongoing snow emergency.
Nez said in a release Monday that he line-item vetoed the money for the Nation's 110 chapters not only because of unspent chapter funds, but also because the Nation is faced with the real possibility of a major revenue decrease due to the uncertainty of the continuation of some of the Nation's largest revenue sources.
A snow emergency declaration was issued Feb. 19. The Gallup Independent newspaper reports the Navajo Nation Council approved the $3 million appropriation on Feb. 26, even though the Office of the Auditor General and the Division of Community Development produced reports that showed unspent emergency funds of more than $2.4 million for the chapters.
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