"Better Listening"--USDA Grilled Over Failures in Tribal Food Assistance Programs.
A Joint Congressional Committee hears from Tribal leaders and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack over the crisis in federal food programs that serve Tribal Nations.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Tribal leaders from the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, and Spirit Lake Tribe testified in Congress today over failures in federal programs to provide adequate food to Tribal Nations. Tribal food programs have reported non-deliveries, missed deliveries, incomplete deliveries, and deliveries of expired food since April 2024. Federal Tribal food assistance programs are administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service.
As originally reported by Politico, severe food shortages have emerged this year at the same time as USDA awarded a single food distribution contract to one company, Paris Brothers Inc., for Tribal and elderly food assistance programs. Food shortages and disruptions have been the worst for Tribes in North Dakota, South Dakota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. Paris Brothers has been a USDA contractor for 17 years, and had previously provided steady service through the program, though some problems had been identified.
Tribes testified that they had expressed concerns about USDA consolidating food distribution contracts to a single provider, but that USDA had already made the decision before consulting Tribes earlier this year.
“Making a decision prior to Tribal Consultation in government-to-government consultation,” said Marty Wafford, Under Secretary of Support and Programs, Chickasaw Nation.
Secretary Vilsack, during his portion of the hearing, agreed that USDA made significant mistakes operating Tribal food assistance programs this year. “The problem, quite frankly, is we need to listen better,” Vilsack said, as he issued an apology.
The Joint Hearing was conducted by the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture of the Committee on Agriculture and the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations.
Most Republicans members focused their statements and questions on the Biden-Harris Administration’s failures in administering the program. “Please accept my apologies for the failures of this Administration,” said House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA).
Democrats, for their part, asked about ways to solve the problem through SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as “food stamps”) or another policy mechanism.
Tribal food assistance programs operate much like food banks, providing boxes of supplemental products to low-income participants. Participants are not allowed to participate in both SNAP and some Tribal supplemental programs. Tribal leaders testified that lifting the statutory ban on dual enrollment in SNAP and Tribal food programs would help to provide food security in Tribal nations.
In addition, Tribal leaders testified that they would like to see more funding and availability for federal food assistance that allows Tribes to manage their own food procurement needs. All three testimonies discussed success with the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Self-Determination Demonstration Projects, (the “638 Program”) which “empowers tribal nations to select and purchase foods themselves helps better align FDPIR food packages with tribal dietary preferences, supports indigenous agricultural producers and honors tribal sovereignty.”
“Our 638 Program products have been the most reliable, the most successful, the most consistent during this crisis,” Wafford said. “They are always available when others aren’t.”
Many members discussed potential expansions of the 638 Program’s Pilot Project status. Tribal members said that allowing Tribes to spend more money on products they want would be transformational in meeting the food needs of their Tribal members.
“USDA is failing,” said Darrel Seki, Chairman of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, numerous times during the hearing. “ We know how to feed ourselves. We would never have a single problem if we were able to purchase the food for our people.”
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