Bismark, ND - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the department will fund $500 million in new school and housing construction, road and bridge improvements, and workforce development projects for federally recognized tribes across the nation.

Under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the department's Indian Affairs office will also offer federally guaranteed loans for American Indian-owned businesses.

Salazar made the announcement with U.S. Senators Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) and Kent Conrad (D-ND), U.S. Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven at the United Tribes Technical College, where they met with leaders from the state's five federally recognized tribes. The secretary was visiting North Dakota for a series of events concerning the tribes, energy development on public lands, and communities affected by spring floods.