Policy Update
- kalli70
- Sep 30
- 2 min read
At Congress
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs voted to confirm Billy Kirkland as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs on Sept. 10. Kirkland’s nomination now moves to a vote in the full Senate.
Congress has until midnight tonight to come to an agreement on federal funding for the new fiscal year. The two parties sharply differ on how to extend government funding, with Democrats pushing for an extension of federal subsidies for low-income families to afford marketplace health insurance plans. If the subsidy is not extended, millions of families will see significantly higher health insurance premiums.
Without an agreement by midnight, government funding expires and the government will shut down. While essential services such as Medicare, Social Security, and law enforcement will continue, non-essential services will be paused. The Trump Administration has also issued an unprecedented memo directing federal agencies to consider mass layoffs in the event of a government shutdown. The layoffs would focus on employees working in programs that are funded through the annual appropriations process, do not have another source of funding, and are not aligned with the President’s priorities.
The Farm Bill also expires on Sept. 30, 2025, but Congress is not expected to take up a “skinny” Farm Bill until later this fall. The Native Farm Bill Coalition continues to advocate for the inclusion of Tribal-specific provisions.
USDA Reorganization Consultations
The USDA will be holding consultations on its proposed reorganization plan next month. According to USDA, the reorganization plan seeks to consolidate operations, including closing the USDA South Building in Washington, D.C., and relocating approximately 2,600 Washington-based positions to five regional hubs: Raleigh, NC; Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT.
NFBC successfully advocated for USDA to hold Tribal consultations on the plan. The dates and locations are as follows:
Date: October 14, 2025
Time: 2:00 – 5:00 P.M. ET
Location: USDA South Building 1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C., 20250
Register Below:
Date: October 16, 2025
Time: 12:00 – 3:00 P.M. MT
Location: Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver International Airport 7001 Yampa Street, Denver, Colorado, 80249
USDA will also be holding a virtual consultation on proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP) on October 22, 2025 at 1-3 P.M. ET (Register to participate virtually).
The consultation has four topics:
SNAP Tribal Work Exception Authorized in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025
Proposed Rule: Updated Staple Food Stocking Standards for Retailers in SNAP
Interim Final Rule: SNAP Changes to Federal-State Administrative Cost-Sharing
Proposed Rule: SNAP Changes to Federal-State Benefit Cost Sharing
NFBC strongly supported the SNAP work requirements exception for Tribal members.