• IFAI is back to policy briefs after a one-week hiatus following our annual Tribal Youth Summit. We have updated Congressional notes from the last two weeks, including Senate Appropriations hearing on FY2026 USDA-FDA funding, Senate Indian Affairs nomination proceedings for William Kirkland as BIA leader and Senate Natural Resources hearing on the FY2026 U.S. Forest Service budget request.  

• The Indian Health Service is hosting the last in a series of In-Person Tribal Consultations on July 23 and one Virtual Consultation on July 28 regarding proposed service realignments and strategic changes.  

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is seeking public comments on the Special Milk Program for Children and the Federal-State Supplemental Nutrition Programs Agreement. 

• There are several Congressional hearings this week, including a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing for the nomination of Richard Fordyce as Under Secretary of Agriculture Farm Production and Conservation. 

• The list of Federal Register notices includes two notices of funding opportunity with deadlines of submissions in August: one for Rural Community Development Initiative and another for the Native Community Development Financial Institution 

Calendar

Tribal Consultation/Listening Sessions/Advisory Committee Meetings:  

 Title of Event: Indian Health Service In-Person Tribal Consultations 

About: The IHS is holding several in-person Tribal consultations on proposed realignment and possible strategic changes in relation to: (1) Delivery of Direct Patient Care; (2) Enterprise/Operational Management; and (3) Supporting Tribal Self-Determination. 

• Date(s), Time, and Location: 
• July 23, 2025 (Wednesday), from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. eastern – Washington, DC (Register Here) 

Hubert H. Humphrey Building – Hall of Tribal Nations
200 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 

• July 28, 2025 (Monday), from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. eastern – Virtual (Register Here) 
• Dear Tribal Leader and Urban Indian Organization Leader Letter 
• The deadline to provide written comments is August 28, 2025 

Congressional Sessions:

Looking back: 

Hearing: House Agriculture Committee – July 9, 2025 

Topic: Safeguarding U.S. Agriculture: The Role of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) 

Highlights: With no specific mentions of Tribal food and agriculture issues, the hearing emphasized the critical role of the NAHLN – housed under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – with discussion focusing on its overall impact on American agriculture. 

Hearing: Senate Appropriations Committee – July 10, 2025 

Topic: Markup of “Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026”; and the “Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026.” 

Highlights: The committee approved the Agriculture-FDA bill in 27-0 vote (-$35b compared to FY2025), with the legislation containing several mentions of Tribal-specific funding. They include the Office of Tribal Relations, FDPIR and other programs. The full committee approved Legislative Branch bill in 26-1 vote (+265m compared to FY2025). 

Hearing: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee – July 10, 2025 

Topic: Hearing on President’s Budget Request for the U.S. Forest Service for FY2026 

Highlights: U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schulz referenced the administration’s zeroing out of the State, Private and Tribal discretionary account, citing the administration’s priorities shifting to an emphasis on federalism and increasing State authority in forest management and fire prevention. 

Hearing: Senate Indian Affairs Committee – July 17, 2025 

Topic: Confirmation hearing of William Kirkland as Asst. Secretary of Indian Affairs 

Highlights: If confirmed, William Kirkland, a Dine´ citizen, promised to use his first 90 days listening to Tribal leaders and Congress on priority areas for the BIA. Discussions were mainly centered on public safety issues, though there was mention DOI’s probate backlogs impacting Indian Country with Kirkland questioned on delayed funds from already appropriated dollars to Tribes. 

Looking ahead:

Hearing: House Appropriations Committee – July 21, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. eastern 

Topic: Subcommittee markup of FY2026 Financial Services and General Government Bill  

Hearing: House Agriculture Committee – July 22, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. eastern 

Topic: Past Breakthroughs and Future Innovations in Crop Production  

Hearing: House Agriculture Committee – July 22, 2025, at 10 a.m. eastern  

Topic: To consider H.R. 4550 United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2025 

Hearing: House Committee on Natural Resources – July 22, 2025, at 10:15 a.m. eastern 

Topic: Permitting Purgatory: Restoring Common Sense to NEPA Reviews 

Hearing: House Agriculture Committee – July 23, 2025, at 10 a.m. eastern 

Topic: An Examination of the Implications of Proposition 12 

Hearing: Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee – July 23, 2025, at 3 p.m. eastern 

Topic: The nomination of Richard Fordyce, of Missouri, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture Farm Production and Conservation 

Nominations:

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee – due before July 18, 2025. 

Regulatory/Rulemaking Actions

Title: Subsistence Management Regulations for Public Lands in Alaska-2025-26 and 2026-27 Subsistence Taking of Fish and Shellfish Regulations 

• USDA’s Forest Service and the Department of Interior issued a final rule that revises subsistence taking of fish and shellfish for 2025-26 and 2026-27 regulatory years.  

• This final rule also updates the regulations on subsistence taking of wildlife, outlining harvest limits, types of taking, and open season time periods for animals such as bears, caribou, and moose.  

• The final rule outlines a table of proposed revisions to the Regulations for the Federal Subsistence Management Program.  

• A proposed rule was published on March 22, 2024, and closed on May 21, 2024.  

• The final rule took effect on July 18, 2025.  

Posted: Week of July 21, 2025 

Title: Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) for FY 2025 

• USDA’s Rural Housing Service has announced funding availability of $5 million for FY 2025 under the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI).  

• The initiative will assist qualified private, nonprofit, and public (including Tribal) Intermediary organizations in providing financial and technical assistance programs to improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas. 

• Federally recognized Tribes, including Tribally Dedicated Housing Entities (TDHE), are eligible recipients for this grant.  

• The minimum grant award per Intermediary organization is $50,000, and the maximum award is $500,000. 

• Electronic submissions are due on August 7, 2025; paper submissions are due on August 12, 2025. 

Posted: Week of July 21, 2025 

Title: Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Native Community Development Financial Institution (NCDFI) Relending Demonstration Program 

• Funds for the NCDFI Relending Demonstration Program are now available for FY 2025. 

• These loans are for NCDFI to relend to low- and very low-income recipients for the purpose of acquiring, building, rehabilitating, improving, or relocating dwellings on Tribal Land in rural areas. 

• The funding available for FY 2025 is $4.63 million. 

• This program increases homeownership opportunities for Native American Tribes, Alaska Native Communities, and Native Hawaiian communities in rural areas. The anticipated award date is September 30, 2025.  

• Deadline for submissions is August 29, 2025 

Posted: Week of July 21, 2025 

• On July 3, 2025, USDA issued an interim final rule that removes several USDA agency regulations for implementing NEPA. These regulations were implemented as a supplement that incorporates and adopts the CEQ’s NEPA regulations. 

• The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued an interim final rule on Feb 25 removing the regulations that implement NEPA in response to President Trump’s EO 14154 Unleashing American Energy. 

• NEPA regulations required meaningful consultation with Tribal nations whose land, resources, or cultural sites may be affected by federal action but are no longer in effect. 

• Removing the regulations may cause some Tribes to challenge projects in court for failing to meet trust responsibilities. 

• Comments must be received by July 30, 2025. 

Posted: Week of July 7, 2025 

Title: Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) Stage 1 

• USDA’s Farm Service Agency has issued a final rule announcing SDRP for calendar years 2023 and 2024. This program provides assistance to eligible producers for losses due to things such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and qualifying drought.  

• Assistance will be provided in two stages – Stage 1 and Stage 2. 

• This notice outlines eligibility requirements, application process, and SDRP payment calculations for Stage 1 only. Stage 2 will be announced in a later rule.  

• This final rule took effect on July 10, 2025 

Posted: Week of July 21, 2025 

Title: Removal of Unconstitutional Preferences Based on Race and Sex in Response to Court Ruling 

• USDA published a final rule that, effective July 10, 2025, it will no longer utilize the designation “socially disadavantaged” to provide increased benefits based on race and sex in programs that include Pandemic Assistance Programs, Farm Loan Programs, Guaranteed Farm Loans, Conservation Reserve Program, and Agricultural Management Assistance.  

• This final rule affects programs in agencies such as the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Farm Service Agency. 

• With this final rule, “USDA will no longer apply race- or sex-based criteria in its decision-making processes, ensuring that its programs are administered in a manner that upholds the principles of meritocracy, fairness, and equal opportunity for all participants.”  

• USDA believes that it has addressed past injustices and taken substantial steps to reach comprehensive settlements, institutional reforms, and compensatory frameworks.  

Posted: Week of July 21, 2025  

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is seeking comments from the public about proposed information collection regarding the Special Milk Program for Children.  

• The Child Nutrition Act (CNA) authorizes the appropriation of sums necessary for the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage the consumption of fluid among children in the U.S.  

• This revision shows a decrease in reporting and recordkeeping burden as well as estimated burden hours due to a decrease in SMP participation.  

• Written comments must be received on or before September 5, 2025 

Posted: Week of July 7, 2025 

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is seeking comments from the public about information collection requirements that have been submitted for OMB review and clearance.  

• The Federal-State Supplemental Nutrition Programs Agreement (FNS-339) is an annual contract between that must be entered between USDA and entities like an Indian Tribal Government that seek to operate programs such as WIC and WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.  

• The signed agreement authorizes USDA to make funds available to State agencies for administering several federal nutrition programs.  

• The State agency then agrees to comply with all provisions of statutes, regulations, and amendments.  

• Comments must be received by July 31, 2025. 

Posted: Week of July 7, 2025