Policy Update

kalli70
Oct 29
2 min read

Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown is entering its fourth week as Congress remains deadlocked over funding measures to reopen the government. The central policy dispute remains the same: Democrats oppose a short-term Continuing Resolution that would temporarily extend federal funding at current levels unless it also includes an extension of federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act health care plans. Without these subsidies, millions of families could see a significant increase in health insurance costs.

FSA Offices Reopening: Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that FSA offices will reopen and resume core services, “including critical services for farm loan processing, ARC/PLC payments, and other programs.” We highly recommend that producers contact their county FSA offices as soon as possible and explicitly ask when they can get their checks endorsed or other services completed. If you encounter challenges or non-responses from your local FSA offices, please contact IAC Policy Director Mai Nguyen at mai@indianag.org.

Nutrition Programs: USDA has announced that funding for SNAP and WIC will run out at the end of the October if the shutdown continues. As many as tens of millions of people, including 500,000 Tribal citizens, could lose their food benefits. Native News Online has also reported that staff responsible for overseeing FDPIR have been furloughed.
- If you are considering moving from SNAP to FDPIR, please note that federal law prohibits dual enrollment in SNAP and FDPIR. SNAP participants must close out their SNAP case before transferring to FDPIR. Timeframes may vary from agency to agency, so contact your local agency early.
The Native Farm Bill Coalition, NFBC, will provide additional information on SNAP and WIC benefits soon.

Are you a producer who has been impacted by the government shutdown? Please consider completing the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s survey on shutdown impacts! Your participation will help us better advocate for impacted producers.