Summary:

• Check out IFAI’s analysis of the U.S. Forest Service reorganization here.

• Congress is back from a two-week recess. There are several Congressional hearings this week about the proposed budgets for Fiscal Year 2027, including House Budget Committee and Senate Budget Committee hearings about the President’s proposed budget for 2027. Stay tuned for IFAI’s analysis of the President’s Budget Request!

Recent IFAI Policy Analysis:

• Last week, IFAI published an analysis of the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) planned reorganization. USFS plans to relocate its headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah, which may make it more difficult for Tribal leaders to engage with USFS leaders. USFS also plans to close the nine regional forestry offices, replacing them with state-based offices and operational service centers. This shift may disrupt long-standing relationships and institutional and local knowledge. It is unclear how the Regional Forester’s responsibilities will be delegated, and under what legal authorities. The USFS has already lost 32% of its staff in 2025, and the relocation may lead to additional departures, jeopardizing the agency’s ability to fulfill its core functions.

Outreach Calendar

General Policy Update:

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:

• • 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:

Congress was in recess during the week of Apr. 6, 2026.

Looking Ahead:

Hearing: House Budget Committee on Wed. Apr. 15, 2026, at 10:15 a.m. ET

Topic: The President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request

Hearing: Senate Budget Committee on Thurs. Apr. 16, 2026, at 10 a.m. ET

Topic: The President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Proposal

Hearing: House Appropriations Committee on Thurs. Apr. 16, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. ET

Topic: Budget Hearing – Department of Agriculture

Hearing: House Appropriations Committee on Thurs. Apr. 16, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET

Topic: Budget Hearing – United States Forest Service

Nominations:

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: General Provisions

• The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) revised its business planning requirements related to diversity and inclusion.
• Specifically, FCA will no longer require 1) institution business plans to assess diversity as a need of the board of directors, 2) institution human capital plans to include strategies and actions to strive for diversity and inclusion within their workforce and management, and 3) institutions, in their marketing plans’ strategies and actions to market their products and services to all eligible and creditworthy persons, to have specific outreach toward diversity and inclusion.
• This final rule was effective as of Mar. 23, 2026.

Posted: Week of Apr. 6, 2026

Read More HERE

Title: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is requesting comments for a study on Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Tribal Organization and U.S. Territories.
• This study will inform FNS about WIC variation operations among Tribal Organizations, U.S. territories, and geographic States that administer the program.
• Knowledge gaps about unique administrative issues and the high cost of operations in Tribal Organizations and U.S. territories will be examined.
• Comments must be received by May 6, 2026

Posted: Week of Apr. 6, 2026

Read More HERE

Title: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

• USDA is finalizing the Interim Final Rule (IFR) published in July 2025 that rewrote its NEPA framework after the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) rescinded its NEPA regulations.
• Removes certain rules from the regulations, creates a new USDA-specific NEPA framework, and aligns with recent executive orders.
• This final rule is effective Apr. 3, 2026.

Posted: Week of Apr. 6, 2026

Read More HERE

Title: Revising Establishment Size Definitions

• USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking revising how the Agency defines establishment size for its oversight of meat and poultry establishments and egg products plants.
• Since 1996, the Agency has used Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) size categories based on employee count and annual sales; for example, a “very small” establishment has fewer than 10 employees or annual sales under $2.5 million.
• The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) provided feedback in September 2024, noting that current definitions group together businesses that operate at very different scales.
• Comments must be submitted by May 26, 2026.

Posted: Week of Apr. 6, 2026

Read More HERE.