Putting Tribal Sovereignty
Summary:
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is holding a nomination hearing on Wednesday, November 5, for Glen Smith to be the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.
- DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs scheduled two in-person and two virtual sessions in a series of consultations from Nov. 10-19, 2025, about Secretarial Order 3443, which concerns elevating and unifying DOI’s Wildland Fire Management Program. Note, there is a venue change for the Albuquerque, NM session on Nov. 13.
- You still have time to submit comments on the proposed USDA departmental reorganization through Nov. 15 at relations@usda.gov Read the IFAI analysis here
- Interested in learning more about the potential Tribal impacts of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Strategy Report? Read IFAI’s analysis here.
Outreach Calendar
Title of Event: Unifying DOI Wildland Fire Programs through the Planned Establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS)
About: This series of consultations will cover the Department’s effectiveness in wildland fire response. Oral and written comments will be accepted.
- Date(s), Time, and Location:
- Nov. 10, 2025 (Monday) at 3-5 p.m. EST (Virtual) Register
- Nov. 13, 2025 (Thursday) at 1:30-3:30 p.m. MST (In-person)
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Auditorium
9169 Coors Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87121
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- Nov. 17, 2025 (Monday) at 3-5 p.m. MST (Virtual) Register
- Nov. 19, 2025 (Wednesday) at 3:15-4:45 p.m. PST (In-person)
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 82nd Annual Convention Seattle Convention Center, Arch Building
705 Pike Street Seattle, WA 98101
Congressional Hearings:
There were no hearings relevant to Indian Country Food and Agriculture last week.
Looking Back:
Hearing: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025
Topic: Impacts of government shutdowns and Agency reductions in force on Native communities.
Highlights: The Committee and the witnesses discussed the Tribal impacts of the government shutdown and Agency reduction in force. Some of the issues include threats to food insecurity as SNAP and WIC run out of funds; halted access to critical seed capital for Native CDFIs; and lack of clear information on funding timelines.
Hearing: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025
Topic: Hearing to examine the nominations for Mindy Brashears of Texas to be Under Secretary for Food Safety, Stella Herrell of New Mexico to be an Assistant Secretary, and John Walk of Virginia to be Inspector General, all for the Department of Agriculture.
Highlights: The nominees committed to modernizing systems and enhancing accountability and transparency. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) raised the importance of the federal government’s legal trust and treaty obligations to Tribal nations, particularly in relation to formal consultations.
Hearing: Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025
Topic: The purpose of the hearing is to examine the Section 106 consultation process under the National Historic Preservation Act.
Highlights: No issues related to Tribal food and agriculture were raised during this hearing.
Looking Ahead:
Hearing: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at 3 p.m. EST
Topic: Nomination hearing for the Honorable Glen Smith, of Iowa, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development
Nominations:
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultive Committee
Description: The purpose of this body is to ensure that the interests of U.S. stakeholders are considered in the development of positions and policy relative to U.S. participation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO).
Deadline: Nominations will be accepted at any time.
Regulatory/Rule Making Actions:
There are no Federal Register notices relevant to Tribal food and agriculture.