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Policy Brief- March 25

Mar 25, 2026 | Congressional Notes, Featured Article, News, Policy Briefing

Summary:

Outreach Calendar

GO TO CALENDAR

General Policy Update:

  • The USDA has announced the cancellation of the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program. The program provided $300 million to non-profit organizations, Tribal governments, and others to increase access to land, capital, and markets for underserved producers, including Native farmers and ranchers. 
  • USDA released a report on the Tribal consultation held last October on USDA’s planned reorganization. The report summarized Tribal leader concerns and some USDA responses. 
  • A new analysis of USDA staffing has revealed that 144 USDA county offices no longer have any conservation staff. According to the analysis, which was based on updated data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), over half of USDA county offices lost conservation staff. One in four counties that previously had a rangeland management specialist no longer do. These frontline staff provide direct assistance to producers, including conservation planning and implementation.

Recent IFAI policy analyses

  • Last week, IFAI held a webinar on the 2026 Farm Bill. A recording of the presentation is available here, and the webinar slides can be viewed here. Thank you all who joined! 
  • Check out IFAI’s recent analysis of S.3994 – the PRIME Meat Processing in Indian Country Act! Introduced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), this bill would authorize 638 agreements for Tribes to train meat inspectors and to conduct meat inspections at Tribally owned meat processing plant. 

Governance Guide Roundtables

  • IFAI is now offering Tribal Food Policy Roundtables in relation to the Governance Guide. Each roundtable will be tailored to the unique priorities and interests of the hosting Tribe/Tribal organization. Discussions will vary but may include (1) an overview of the Governance Guide; (2) in-depth discussions on tools and resources within the Guide; and (3) open dialogue with Tribal leadership, Tribal staff, and Tribal producers. 
  • All roundtables are offered at no cost to the Tribe.

Tribal Consultation/Listening Sessions/Advisory Committee Meetings: 

Title of Event: FDPIR Produce Safety Training

About: This is a 2-day in-person training designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities for FDPIR program operators and staff who are receiving, handling, and storing fresh produce. The training helps Tribes and State agencies properly assess and safely distribute fresh produce to program participants.

Date(s), Time, and Location:

    • April 9 – 10, 2026 at Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: REGISTER
    • May 19 – 20, 2026 at Spirit Lake Tribe: REGISTER
    • June 2026 (alongside the NAFDPIR Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, NY): REGISTER

Congressional Updates: 

Looking Back:

Hearing: House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee – on Mar. 17 – 18, 2026

Topic: American Indian and Alaska Native Public Hearings.

Highlights: Witnesses were Tribal leaders from several Tribal nations and organizations and provided statements about appropriations for Fiscal Year 2027. They raised concerns about the funding levels from previous fiscal years at federal agencies including Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and Indian Health Service (IHS), and their impacts on law enforcement, healthcare, education, and social services.

Looking Ahead:

Hearing: House Committee on Natural Resources – Subcommittee on Federal Lands on Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026 at 2 p.m. ET

Topic: Legislative hearing on four public lands bills, including the Long-Term Good Neighbor Authority Act (H.R.7951), which authorizes the U.S. Forest Service to enter Good Neighbor agreements with states and Tribes for up to 20 years, up from ten years.

Nominations:

USDA Tribal Advisory Committee; Notice of Solicitation for Nominations

Description: The USDA Tribal Advisory Committee is a Congress-mandated body that provides advice and guidance to the Secretary on matters relating to Tribal and Indian Affairs. The Department is reopening its call for nominations for three Secretarial appointments to serve a three-year term. Tribal Advisory Committee members are eligible to receive compensation for each day participating in full Committee meetings and related travel to in-person meetings.

Deadline: March 31, 2026

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee (NCC)

Description: This committee advises the Secretaries of Commerce and State on issues relevant to the work of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) convention. NAFO is an international fisheries management body focused on coordinating international scientific studies of key marine species in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. NCC seeks nominations from committee members with fishing and/or seafood processing industry experience, marine/fisheries conservation and management experience, and more.

Deadline: Nominations for the committee will be accepted at any time.

Regulatory/Rule Making Actions:

Title: Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems; Delay of Effective Date

  • USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is delaying the effective date of the Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems final rule.
  • One of the actions in the final rule “prohibits livestock poultry dealers from reducing a grower’s compensation based on the grower’s ranking under a poultry grower ranking system.”
  • The delay allows time for further consideration of possible actions about the final rule implementation.
  • The new proposed effective date will be changed from July 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027.

Read More HERE.

Title: Rate Adjustments for Indian Irrigation Projects

  • DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) published a notice about rate adjustments for Indian irrigation projects.
  • BIA establishes irrigation assessment rates to recover project administration, operation, and maintenance costs.
  • Regions like the Northwest Region and the Western Region will see an increase in their proposed 2027 rates.
  • Comments must be received by May 22, 2026

Read More HERE. 

Title: National Organic Program: National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances per October 2021, October 2022, and October 2024 Recommendations (Crops and Livestock)

  • USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has published a proposed rule regarding organic regulations related to organic crop and livestock production.
  • Proposed changes include allowing carbon dioxide in organic crop production and meloxicam for pain treatment in organic livestock production.
  • Entities that may be affected by this proposed rule include organic crop and/or livestock producers as well as individuals or business entities considering organic certification for crop and/or livestock production.
  • Comments must be received by May 22, 2026

Read More HERE. 

Title: Amendment of Notice of Funds Availability for Native American CDFI Assistance Program; Revised Application Submission Deadline

  • CDFI Fund is extending the deadline for a NOFA inviting Applications for Financial or Technical Assistance awards under the Native American CDFI Assistance Program Fiscal Year 2025 Funding Round due to lapses in government appropriations.
  • CDFI Fund is issuing this notice to revise the submission deadline from 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 27, 2025, to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 10, 2026.

Read More HERE. 

Title: Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves

  • The Department of Interior’s National Park Service is amending its regulations for hunting, fishing, trapping, and other natural resource harvests in national preserves in Alaska.
  • Proposed changes would remove changes such as those that insulated managers from public involvement, removed required consultation with the State, and allowed for discretionary closures.
  • The proposed changes would also rescind changes previously made to “frustrate effective management of fish and wildlife resources in Alaska park units, including for subsistence.”

Read More HERE. 

Title: Notice of Deadline for Submitting Completed Requests to Begin Participation in the Tribal Self-Governance Program in Fiscal Year 2027 or Calendar Year 2027

  • The BIA Office of Self-Governance (OSG) has issued the deadline for Tribal Nations/Tribal consortia requesting to participate in the 2027 Tribal Self-Governance Program.
  • Participation requests must be received by April 4, 2026 (for fiscal year requests) or by July 5, 2026 (for calendar year requests).

Read More HERE.