ACTION ALERT: Urge the Senate Agriculture Committee to make the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations 638 demonstration program permanent
- Jun 4
- 3 min read
On April 30, 2026, the House of Representatives passed the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) by a vote of 224-200. While the bill includes many provisions that positively impact Indian Country, several Tribal provisions originally included in the House Agriculture Committee’s version of the Farm Bill during the 118th Congress were omitted from the Farm Bill that the House recently passed. Among the missing provisions is language to make the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations 638 (FDPIR 638) demonstration program permanent or, at minimum, extend the existing pilot program.
Act Now: Urge the Senate Agriculture Committee to make the FDPIR 638 authority permanent
The Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC) encourages Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal producers to send letters to the Senate Agriculture Committee urging them to include FDPIR 638 in their version of the Farm Bill. FDPIR 638 is widely supported on a bipartisan basis in both the House and Senate and has been looked to as a solution to address food insecurity during U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) warehouse disruptions and government shutdowns.
Failure to include FDPIR 638 will harm 16 FDPIR programs and participating producers
The failure to include language making the FDPIR 638 authority permanent in the 2026 Farm Bill will negatively impact 16 Tribes and Tribal organizations currently utilizing the authority to purchase traditional foods for their members. This omission will also cause strain for producers who have relied on the 16 FDPIR 638 projects for consistent revenue, which has in turn enabled them to hire more employees and expand their operations to meet the increased demand.
FDPIR 638 supports the health and well-being of Tribal communities
The FDPIR 638 demonstration program authorizes Tribes and Tribal organizations to procure foods including walleye, salmon, halibut, bison, ground beef, wild rice, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and more. Tribal administration of FDPIR has yielded major success by increasing access to traditional, culturally relevant, and nutritious foods that promote the health and well-being of Tribal communities. Learn how the Oneida Nation and Menominee Indian Tribe worked together through a FDPIR 638 agreement to increase access to high-quality, culturally relevant foods for their members while simultaneously building integrated food and relationships with producers in the Midwest Region.
FDPIR 638 supports producers and builds regional food economies
FDPIR 638 authority has also created meaningful economic opportunities for Tribal producers and local food suppliers by providing a reliable and consistent source of revenue that allows producers to invest in and expand their operations. For some producers, participation in the program has supported facility upgrades, workforce expansion, and the development of stronger regional food economies rooted in Tribal communities. Through partnerships such as the Chickasaw Nation’s FDPIR 638 agreement with Rolland Ranch, Tribal governments are helping local producers increase production while simultaneously addressing food insecurity in their communities. By sourcing food locally and regionally, Tribes are able to provide fresher products with a longer shelf life while giving Tribal citizens confidence and pride in knowing their food is grown, raised, and processed close to home. The authority also strengthens local processing infrastructure and keeps food dollars circulating within Tribal and rural economies, creating a model that truly puts farmers, ranchers, and Tribal communities first.
FDPIR 638 provides certainty during USDA warehouse disruptions and government shutdowns
FDPIR 638 provides Tribal nations with greater certainty and resilience during USDA warehouse disruptions, supply chain shortages, and government shutdowns by authorizing Tribes to directly procure and manage food distribution for their communities during these times. A joint oversight hearing before the House Agriculture Committee and House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee on the 2024 USDA warehouse disruption highlighted widespread challenges facing USDA’s centralized food procurement and distribution system, including delays, shortages, spoiled and infested food, and month-long delays that negatively impacted FDPIR participants across Indian Country. In contrast, Tribes participating in the FDPIR demonstration program demonstrated the ability to adapt quickly and maintain stable food supplies for their communities. In testimony before the House Agriculture Committee, representatives from the Chickasaw Nation explained that the Nation had not experienced ordering or delivery issues for foods procured through its self-determination agreement, including beef products, pecans, and dried hominy used to prepare the traditional food pashofa.
Fast forward to 30:24 to listen to the testimony.
Send a letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee today!
The NFBC encourages you to send a letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee supporting making the FDPIR 638 Authority permanent. A template letter, contact information for staffers, and other background information is included below.
It’s really frustrating to see the FDPIR 638 language dropped from the final House bill, especially knowing how vital that program is for tribal communities and food sovereignty. I hope the Senate Agriculture Committee listens to the NFBC and at least extends the pilot before it lapses. By the way, I keep a free short haircut style gallery I like to share: https://shorthaircuts.net/
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Making the FDPIR 638 demonstration program permanent is a no-brainer for Tribal self-determination, especially after it got left out of the House Farm Bill again. I've been tracking this closely and the coalition’s push on the Senate Ag Committee is exactly what we need right now—check out the action alert for the full talking points. https://aiphoto-app.com
The omission of the FDPIR 638 demonstration program language is a huge missed opportunity for Tribal self-determination, especially after the House just passed the Farm Bill. Making this permanent would finally give tribes the flexibility they need to run food distribution on their own terms. I've been following the coalition’s work on this and was https://image-to-stl.org
It's frustrating to see the FDPIR 638 demonstration language get stripped out again, especially when the program has already shown it works during those USDA warehouse disruptions. The fact that it's bipartisan in both chambers makes the omission feel less like a policy decision and more like an oversight. I'm drafting my letter to the Senate Ag Committee now — speaking of which, this whole process reminds me of how easy it is for important details to get lost in translation, kind of like when you're trying to preserve something meaningful but it ends up garbled. Speaking of that, I found this low quality image maker that actually captures that feeling perfectly — sometimes the final product just doesn't reflect…