OFFICE OF
INSPECTOR GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
CARES Act Flash Report
December 2020: Where’s the Money?
DOI CARES Act Funds as of December 31, 2020
The DOI received On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) was enacted. To date, the CARES Act has provided the
$909.7 million U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) with $909.7 million. This report
describes the DOI’s funding status as of December 31, 2020 (see Figure 1),
under the CARES Act to
a new example program, additional funding for the Bureau of Indian
respond to impacts from Education (BIE), and updated information on the DOI’s completion of
COVID-19: CARES Act milestones (see page 3). We are issuing this report for
• $453 million for the Bureau of
transparency and for the DOI’s use in managing the funding. The funding
Indian Affairs (BIA) and related information has not been audited or reviewed in accordance with
applicable standards.
• $157.4 million for DOI
operations (Office of the Figure 1: Funding Status as of December 31, 2020
Secretary (OS))*
Business Appropriation/ Obligations Expenditures
Area Transfer ($) To Date ($) To Date ($)
• $69 million for BIE
BIA 453,000,000 421,011,121 397,946,418
o $153.7 million for the BIE (92.9%) (87.8%)
transferred from the OS* 143,580,000 2,869,111 1,413,955
U.S. Department of Education (2.0%) (1.0%)
(ED) FWS 3,585,000 1,343,614 1,257,489
(37.5%) (35.1%)
• $55 million for the Office of NPS 5,467,000 1,855,614 1,719,137
Insular Affairs (OIA) (33.9%) (31.4)
BLM 4,053,000 1,456,932 1,110,847
• $12 million for the Bureau of (35.9%) (27.4%)
Reclamation (BOR)–water OWF 265,000 241,460 154,062
resources (91.1%) (58.1%)
BOR 450,000 0 0
• $8.1 million for the BOR–policy 0% 0%
and administration
BIE 69,000,000 60,440,626 59,107,542
(87.6%) (85.7%)
• $1 million for the Office of
Inspector General (OIG) BIE (ED) 153,750,000 127,324,113 117,584,750
(82.8%) (76.5%)
• $500,000 for the BOR–Central OIA 55,000,000 42,627,375 11,814,426
Utah Project Completion Act (77.5%) (21.5%)
(CUPCA) BOR (Water) 12,000,000 6,325,850 6,216,465
(52.7%) (51.8%)
* The OS transferred funds to the U.S. Fish BOR (Policy) 8,100,000 1,703,568 1,703,568
and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park (21.0%) (21.0%)
Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), and OIG 1,000,000 847,113 847,113
Office of Wildland Fire (OWF). In addition, (84.7%) (84.7%)
OWF funds were transferred to BLM, FWS,
BOR (CUPCA) 500,000 28,617 1,110
and NPS child accounts with the OS. Figure 1
includes a breakdown of the transferred (5.7%) (0.2%)
funds. The OS may transfer additional funds $668,075,114 $600,876,882
within the DOI in the future. Totals $909,750,000
(73.4%) (66.0%)
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2021-FIN-014 • Issued February 18, 2021 1
Details on Award Types
DOI programs and bureaus have made funds available via contracts and
grants/financial assistance awards (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Award Types Used as of December 31, 2020
Total Percentage of
Award Type Value ($) Total Value
Grant/financial assistance award 609,961,578 91.3
Contracts and supplies 30,738,143 4.6
Top 5 Recipients
Other (e.g., equipment, personnel) 27,375,393 4.1
• Navajo Nation Tribal Totals $668,075,114 100%
Government ($12,577,400)
COVID-19 vs. CARES Act Expenditures
• Government of Guam As of December 31, 2020, CARES Act charge card expenditures totaled
($12,039,565) $4.8 million, and COVID-19-related purchases (not charged to CARES Act
funds) totaled $12.6 million (see Figure 3). The DOI may make future
• Mississippi Band of Choctaw adjustments to some of these COVID-19 expenditures to reflect the use of
Indians ($9,553,410) CARES Act funds as more transactions are reviewed for proper
classification.
• Cherokee Nation
Figure 3: Charge Card Purchase Amounts as of December 31, 2020
($9,131,601)
Bureau CARES Act ($) COVID-19 ($) Total ($)
• Government of the U.S. BIA 2,196,867 4,548,067 6,744,934
Virgin Islands ($7,863,776) BLM 589,553 1,768,426 2,357,979
BOR 883,522 10,048 893,570
Example CARES Act Program FWS 235,957 1,186,330 1,422,287
The Pueblo of Zuni (POZ) in Zuni, NPS 932,359 4,203,510 5,135,869
NM, has received $2.2 million in Other† 0 838,493 838,493
CARES Act funding from the BIA.
Totals $4,838,258 $12,554,874 $17,393,132
The POZ announced on its
website that it is providing † This includes departmental offices, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
personal protective equipment the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
and cleaning kits to its community
members. The POZ is also
providing behavioral health Additional BIE Funds Forthcoming
services to individuals 9 years and
The December 27, 2020 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental
Appropriations Act provided an additional $409,400,000 to the BIE.
older, and it encourages
The funds will be transferred from the ED as part of the Education
community members to call a
Stabilization Fund and are subject to the terms and conditions for funding
counselor if they are experiencing
under section 18001(a)(2) of the CARES Act. All of the funding will be
anxiety, loss of security,
provided to BIE-operated and -funded elementary and secondary schools
bereavement or unresolved grief
(60 percent) and tribal colleges and universities (40 percent).
over the loss of a loved one, or
the effects of social isolation. As
of the end of December 2020, the
POZ had confirmed 31 community
member deaths.
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2021-FIN-014 • Issued February 18, 2021 2
Ongoing Milestones
Effective the date of OMB Memorandum M-20-21 As of December 31, 2020,
(April 10, 2020), the DOI must identify, track, and we have identified
anticipate reporting charge card spending related to $12,554,874 in charge card
COVID-19. These charge card transactions must use transactions with the
“COVID” as an identifier. COVID identifier.
By April 26, 2020, the Secretary of the Treasury must On September 25, 2020, the
consult with the Secretary of the Interior and Indian tribes U.S. Court of Appeals for
about payments totaling $8 billion to tribes. Several tribes, the DC Circuit held that
including three in Alaska, argued that the allotment is not Alaska Native corporations
meant for for-profit corporations and should exclusively are not eligible for funding
Significant Milestones support tribal governments. under Title V of the CARES
Act. We will continue to
The CARES Act requires agencies report this milestone
to submit reports by certain pending completion of the
deadlines, and the U.S. Office of appeals process. On
January 8, 2021, the
Management and Budget (OMB) U.S. Supreme Court agreed
provided further clarification on to hear the case.
the reporting requirements in its
Starting with the June 2020 reporting period through The first quarter bureau
Memorandum M-20-21,
September 30, 2021, the Deputy Secretary or the Chief Operating reports for fiscal year 2021
Implementation Guidance for Officer must review quarterly the progress made on program are due January 15, 2021.
Supplemental Funding Provided performance under the CARES Act. The Deputy Secretary will
in Response to the Coronavirus conduct quarterly reviews on performance goals and is also
Disease 2019 (COVID-19), informed in near real time on various performance developments.
issued April 10, 2020. We are The Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and
Budget issued a memo to heads of bureaus and offices titled
monitoring these DOI
CARES Act Quarterly Output/Outcome Reporting Guidance.
milestones.
Reporting Requirements Completed by Submitting Data
Completed Milestones to USASpending.gov and PandemicOversight.gov
On June 9, 2020, DOI assessed The DOI must report monthly to the OMB, the U.S. Department The DOI continues to meet
and adjusted existing reporting of the Treasury, the PRAC, and the appropriate congressional this monthly requirement.
and audit deadlines and committees on any obligation or expenditure of large covered
considered how to balance funds, starting with the June 2020 reporting period through
existing statutory and regulatory September 30, 2021. Large covered funds are any funds made
available in any form (e.g., via grant, cooperative agreement,
compliance requirements with contract, loan, loan guarantee, award, or other mechanism) that
the new workload associated exceed $150,000.
with the COVID-19 crisis.
Not later than 10 days after the end of each calendar The DOI met this
quarter, each recipient of large covered funds shall submit requirement for the
On July 16, 2020, the DOI a report on use of the funds to the DOI and the PRAC. quarter ending
submitted to the Pandemic December 31, 2020.
Response Accountability
The DOI must submit Digital Accountability and The DOI continues to meet
Committee (PRAC) a plan Transparency Act (DATA Act) files A, B, and C monthly this monthly requirement.
describing how the covered instead of quarterly, starting with the June 2020 reporting
funds will be spent. period. These submissions must be certified by the DATA
Act Senior Accountable Official or Financial
Representative Designee for COVID-19-related funding.
The DOI certifying official for the monthly DATA Act file
submissions is the Financial Business Management System
Business Integration Office Director.
Not later than 30 days after the end of each calendar The DOI met the
quarter, the PRAC in consultation with the DOI must make requirement for the
the reports by covered recipients publicly available. quarter ending
December 31, 2020.
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2021-FIN-014 • Issued February 18, 2021 3
Where's the Money? DOI Use of CARES Act Funds as of December 31, 2020
Published by the Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General on 2021-02-18.
Below is a raw (and likely hideous) rendition of the original report. (PDF)