Putting Tribal Sovereignty
Summary:
- There are no Congressional hearings relevant to Tribal food and agriculture this week.
- The FDPIR Tribal Leaders Consultation Work Group will hold its final government-to-government consultation of the year with USDA during the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s Annual Conference on Dec. 10, 2025, from 2-6 PM PST. Participants must register by Dec. 9 to participate virtually or in-person. A formal agenda is not yet available. Tribal leaders wishing to designate a proxy should do so ahead of time using the proxy template letter posted on the USDA Office of Tribal Relations website.
- IFAI is hosting an informational briefing session ahead of the FDPIR Tribal consultation. This session is for Tribal leaders and/or their proxies and staff, and will be held virtually on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at 2 PM CST. Please register here.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) will hold its final meeting of the year on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, from 9 AM to 5PM PST. This will be a hybrid meeting, with virtual and in-person options for attendance.
- Two Federal Register notices this week include a final rule on Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP) and a NOFA for credit assistance.
- The IFAI Policy Brief is taking a brief break. IFAI will not publish a Policy Brief next week, Dec. 8, while our staff are attending the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Check out our social media accounts next week to follow our activities, and if you’re attending the conference, please stop by our booth to say hello. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Outreach Calendar
Title of Event: USDA Tribal Advisory Committee
About: The USDA Tribal Advisory Committee was created by the 2018 Farm Bill to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on issues relevant to Indian Country agriculture. This meeting, held both in-person and with virtual options, will be the last TAC meeting of 2025. There will be a public comment period where members of the public may speak to the committee and raise issues for the committee to consider. Individuals wishing to speak during this period should arrive by no later than 2 P.M. PST and will have five minutes to speak.
Date(s), Time, and Location:
- Dec. 8, 2025 (Monday) at 9 – 5 p.m. PST (Virtual and In-person)
Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) Annual Conference
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
4455 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Room: TBD
Participants should register HERE
Note: The agenda is yet to be published. When available, it will be listed on the USDA Office of Tribal Relations website.
About: This is the last consultation meeting of 2025 between USDA and the FDPIR Tribal Leaders Consultation Work Group.
Date, Time, and Location:
- Dec. 10, 2025 (Wednesday) at 2 – 6 p.m. PST (Virtual and In-person)
Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) Annual Conference
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
4455 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Room: Sage 3
All participants must register HERE by Dec. 9, 2025
Congressional Hearings:
There were no hearings relevant to Indian Country Food and Agriculture last week.
Looking Back:
There are no Congressional hearings scheduled this week.
Looking Ahead:
There are no Congressional hearings scheduled this week.
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:
Title: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is seeking comments on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for Victims of Disasters (D-SNAP).
- Separate from SNAP, D-SNAP requires that an affected area in the State must have received a Presidential Declaration of “Major Disaster”.
- Information collected includes a description of the incident, geographic area, ongoing household eligibility, and affected population.
- Tribal Governments are expected to be part of the respondent pool.
- Comments must be received by Dec. 26, 2025.
Posted: Week of Dec. 1
Read more HERE.
Title: Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP)
- USDA’s Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) is requesting comments on an EARP final rule that took effect on Nov. 30.
- The changes are intended to update, streamline, and clarify several crop insurance regulations such as area risk protection insurance regulations, common crop insurance regulations, and forage seeding crop insurance provisions.
- FCIC will accept comments by close of business on Jan. 27, 2026.
Posted: Week of Dec. 1
Read more HERE.
Title: Notice of Funding Availability for Credit Assistance Under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program
- USDA’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting letters of interest from eligible entities like state, local, and Tribal governments, seeking credit assistance from the EPA.
- There are five key priorities under the WIFIA program, including (1) providing safe drinking water and improving water quality; (2) advancing local, regional, and state water priorities.
- EPA approximates $6.5 billion will be made available for approved projects.
- LOIs will be reviewed on or after December 29, 2025.
Posted: Week of Dec. 1
Read More HERE.
Title: Agricultural Disaster Indemnity Programs
- Effective November 18, 2025, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) issued a final rule to financially assist eligible quality losses under Stage 1of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) and to start Stage 2 of SDRP: the On-Farm Stored Commodity Loss Program (OFSCLP), and the Milk Loss Program (MLP).
- SDRP provides payments for crops, trees, ushes, and vine losses due to disaster events that occurred in calendar year 2023 or 2024.
- OFSCLP provides payments to producers for uncompensated losses of harvested commodities stored in on-farm structures because of disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods, etc., that occurred in the calendar year 2023 or 2024.
Posted: Week of Nov. 24
Read more HERE.