Putting Tribal Sovereignty
WASHINGTON, DC – The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the 2026 Farm Bill during the week of April 27, according to a recent notice from the House Rules Committee. Amendments are due Wednesday, April 22.
House leadership faces tight margins passing the Farm Bill. Most Democrats are expected to oppose the bill due to concerns with nutrition funding and pesticide regulation, while some more conservative Republicans may oppose due to cost. The Senate is expected to introduce their version of the Farm Bill in the coming months.
Stay tuned for IFAI’s Farm Bill analyses in the coming weeks! For further information on the 2026 House Farm Bill, please see IFAI’s Key Takeaways for on the 2026 Farm Bill, Section-by-Section Analysis, and Farm Bill webinar.
About the Farm Bill
Introduced in February, the 2026 House Farm Bill, known as the Farm, Food, and National Security Act (H.R.7567), would make changes to conservation, credit, nutrition, and infrastructure programs impacting Tribes and Native producers. Among other changes, the bill would establish a new self-determination demonstration project for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), establish a new program for Tribes and States to purchase and distribute food locally, make permanent a self-determination program for Tribes to administer Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) activities, and establish a new grant program to support meat processing facilities in rural areas.
Notably, the legislation did not include a provision extending or making permanent the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation (FDPIR) Self-Determination Demonstration Project. Established in the 2018 Farm Bill, this program authorized USDA to enter self-determination agreements with Tribes to procure FDPIR foods. To date, 16 Tribes have successfully participated in the program. The provision was excluded from the 2026 Farm Bill due to concerns with cost. IFAI, as well as members of the Native Farm Bill Coalition, have expressed opposition to CBO’s score and called on CBO to provide more information on their calculation.