The Navajo Nation Controller’s Office is coming under fire from Nation legislators due to slow distribution of American Rescue Plan Act hardship checks, as over 6,000 applications remain outstanding.

Navajo Nation Controller Elizabeth Begay told the Navajo Council that her 20-person hardship team has endured verbal abuse, death threats and bomb threats in recent weeks.

Last month in Phoenix, hundreds of Nation members waited in line for hours to get assistance, only to be turned away when the hardship team shut down the site due to heat-related safety concerns.

Begay told the council that she is working to expand the hardship staff but finds it difficult to hire workers with the wages the Nation is able to provide.

Begay reported that the team has successfully distributed over $530 million in hardship checks since February, despite the small staff.