In the last several days, Members of Congress have sent three separate bipartisan letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging the agency to uphold its trust obligations to Tribes by addressing this situation in a timely manner.
The Native Farm Bill Coalition continues to work closely with Congress, the National Association of FDPIR and other organizations to secure a long-term solution that ensures Tribes consistently receive food deliveries that feed their members.
House and Senate Appropriators Letter
Today, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) released a bipartisan letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack expressing concern about the disastrous food shortages across Indian Country caused by USDA’s consolidation of national warehouses that support FDPIR and CSFP.
The letter reads: “As Members of both chambers of Congress and leaders of the Committees and Subcommittees on Appropriations, we are alarmed to only recently have learned about the food shortage crisis that has been inflicted upon our nation’s Tribes. We were made aware of this issue from Tribes across the country, who are now in a dire situation because of a failure to ensure food has been received by Tribes in a timely manner through the [FDPIR]. The program serves some of the most vulnerable people in our country, and recipients have reported bare shelves, having received expired food items, and inconsistent food deliveries for over four months. Tribes are deeply worried about when food will arrive and when USDA will resolve this situation. It is the federal government’s responsibility to uphold its trust and treaty obligations to Tribes, and this situation must be resolved immediately.”
House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), House Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD), House Agriculture Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop (D-GA), House Interior Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID), Interior Subcommittee Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), Senate Agriculture Subcommittee Chair Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Senate Agriculture Subcommittee Ranking Member John Hoeven (R-ND) joined Rep. Cole in signing the letter.
House Agriculture Committee Letter
The House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) sent a bipartisan letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack on Friday. To better understand the gravity of the FDPIR and CSFP issue, the Committee requested a copy of the contract with Paris Brothers, Inc. and additional information on the use of Commodity Credit Corporation funds to resolve the significant delays.
Bipartisan Senate Letter
A group of Senators sent a bipartisan letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack on Friday urging USDA to “swiftly and fully address the unfolding crisis.”
The letter reads: “We appreciate that USDA is hosting weekly calls with impacted ITOs, but delays persist and there is no timeline to resolve this issue and fully restore on-time food deliveries. Tribal leadership, low-income families, and the community-at-large have been diligently working to fill the gap; however, USDA must take immediate action to restore full operation of the FDPIR program and end the uncertainty looming over countless families. We urge the USDA to engage in emergency tribal consultation and restore food deliveries and operation of the FDPIR program. USDA must promptly establish plans to prevent a situation like this from occurring in the future.”
The letter was signed by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), John Hoeven (R-ND), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Tina Smith (D-MN).
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