Summary
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- The Department of the Interior will hold the last two consultations on June 24 and 26 with Tribal leaders about the Department’s DRAFT FY2026 – 2030 Strategic Plan.
- It’s a busy week in the House of Representatives, with House Appropriations holding a Monday night a markup of the FY2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill. Elsewhere, the Natural Resources Federal Lands subcommittee holds on forest management, an Ag subcommittee hearing on commodities covers risk management and credit issues while the full Appropriations Committee will hold a markup on legislative branch budget after the subcommittee passed the bill on a 6 – 4 vote on Monday, June 24. Hearing notes will be posted in next week’s policy brief.
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service published two notices; one about a new system of record; and another about an existing final rule on SNAP work requirements and screening.
Calendar
Title of Event: Tribal Consultation for the Department of Interior’s FY2026 – 2030 Strategic Plan About: The Department of Interior (DOI) is hosting a series of consultations to obtain Tribal feedback about the Department’s FY2026 – 2030 Strategic Plan. All sessions will be virtual.
- Date(s), Time, and Location:
- June 24, 2025, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. eastern – West Coast Tribal Register Here
- June 26, 2025, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. eastern – Native Hawaiian Register Here
- The comment period will be open for 30 days after the last consultation. Session participants may submit written comments to consultation@bia.gov
Congressional Sessions:
Looking back:
There were no Congressional hearings relevant to Indian Country Food and Agriculture last week.
Looking ahead:
Hearing: House Oversight Committee on Oversight and Government Reform – Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 10 a.m. eastern
Topic: Locking in the DOGE Cuts: Ending Waste, Fraud, and Abuse for Good
Hearing: House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands – Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 10 a.m. eastern.
Topic: Fix Our Forests: Advancing Innovative Technologies to Improve Forest Management and Prevent Wildfires
Hearing: House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit – Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 10 a.m. eastern.
Topic: A Review of the U.S. Grain Standards Act
Hearing: House Committee on Appropriations – Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 10 a.m. eastern.
Topic: Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2026 Legislative Branch Bill
Hearing: House Agriculture Committee – Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 10 a.m. eastern.
Topic: A Review of the U.S. Grain Standards Act
Nominations:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee– due before July 18, 2025.
Regulatory/Rulemaking Actions
Title: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request about the Final Rule on SNAP Work Requirements and Screening.
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has submitted for OMB review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the final rule on SNAP work requirements and screening.
- The final rule was published in the Federal Register on December 17, 2024, and became effective on January 16, 2025.
- The final rule required for State agencies to screen for exemptions from general work requirements and ABAWD time limit.
- Comments submitted by July 17, 2025, will be considered.
Posted: Week of June 23, 2025
Title: Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has provided notice of a new system of records effective June 23, 2025 and July 23, 2025 for more routine uses.
- This new system is called USDA/FNS-15, National Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Information Database.
- The primary goal of this new system is to strengthen SNAP and government program integrity.
- FNS will use this new system to verify SNAP recipient eligibility in relation to information such as immigration status, duplicate enrollments, and identify theft.
- USDA will publish any changes, resulting from public comments.
Posted: Week of June 23, 2025
Title: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request about the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy Grant Program (RISE).
- USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service has submitted for review information collection requirements regarding RISE.
- This grant program looks to develop and support industry in low-income rural areas.
- Tribal governments are among the expected respondents for this notice.
- Comment deadline: July 16, 2025
Posted: Week of June 17, 2025
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has submitted for review and clearance information collection activities about the SNAP Multiple Payment Pilots (MPPs).
- FNS is authorized up to five MPPs that allow the use of personal mobile devices including cellular phones and tablets instead of SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to purchase SNAP benefits.
- These pilot projects will enable FNS to determine if they work in the best interests of the Program.
- Comment deadline: July 14, 2025
Posted: Week of June 17, 2025
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is seeking comments from the public about gathering information through a study of WIC Tribal Organizations and U.S. Territories that administer and operate WIC.
- This study involves all 32 Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), 5 U.S. territories, 5 Tribally operated local WIC agencies and about 15 geographic State agencies.
- The results of the study are expected to inform FNS about any differences in how WIC is operated and how the experiences of its participants vary across the country.
- Written comments must be received by August 12, 2025
Posted: Week of June 17, 2025
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is seeking comments about information collection activities related to WIC and FMNP.
- FNS is looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of program results from the $390 million ARPA investment in outreach, innovation, and program modernization.
- FNS will collect data from WIC State agencies, local agencies, clinics, WIC & FMNP vendors and outlets, and WIC participants.
- The study will also use surveys to learn about participant and operators’ experiences.
- Comments received by July 11, 2025, will be considered.
Posted: Week of June 17, 2025
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has issued a final rule rescinding obsolete regulatory provisions related to Summer EBT application flexibility for 2024. It also rescinded income verification flexibility 2024 only.
- These rescissions are authorized by Executive Order 14219 which implements the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) deregulatory initiative.
- This final rule took effect on June 11, 2025
Posted: Week of June 17, 2025
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has issued a final rule that removes the requirement for States that operate the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Summer EBT to develop a Coordinated Services Plan (CSP).
- In December 2023, FNS established an interim final rule that required States to develop CSPs to coordinate the statewide availability of SFSP and Summer EBT.
- FNS received comments from States and advocates about the interim final rule, which stated that development of CSPs was burdensome, unnecessary, and duplicative of other reporting requirements.
- This final rule comes into effect on August 5, 2025
Posted: Week of June 9, 2025
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has issued and interim final rule that rescinds the requirement for State education agencies to report ameliorative or corrective actions taken due to verification of applications.
- The Department will still require State education agencies to conduct verification reports on an annual basis.
- This interim final rule took effect on June 6, 2025.
- Comments received by July 7, 2025, will be considered.
Posted: Week of June 9, 2025
- USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is requesting public comments about the use of Uniform Grant Application Package for Discretionary Grant Programs.
- The uniform grant application package includes information such as general information and instructions, program narrative statement describing how goals and objectives will be met, and budge information.
- If FNS decides that it needs additional information to satisfy the needs of a grant program, it will not use the current uniform grant application package and publish a 30-day notice asking for different or additional information.
- The revised information collection included in this notice relates to the program narrative statement.
- Comments received by August 4, 2025, will be considered.
Posted: Week of June 9, 2025