Summary:

• This week, we will be monitoring a hearing from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs examining the Small Business Administration Native 8(a) Programs. 

• Nominations for the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council will close on Feb. 17. 

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has published the 2026 Reimbursement Rates in the Summer Food Service Program in the Federal Register.  

• Last-minute reminder about the USDA Forest Tribal Forum being held virtually on Wednesday, Feb. 11: Register HERE 

• Interested in a funding opportunity for USDA’s Value-Added Producer Grant? Check out the LINK on IFAI’s website. 

Outreach Calendar

Tribal Consultation/Listening Sessions/Advisory Committee Meetings:

Title of Event: USDA Forest Service Tribal Forum: Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experience (EXPLORE) Act, P.L. 118-234 (Expansion of Good Neighbor Authority).  

About: This virtual session is an opportunity for FS to share information with Tribes and answer questions related to the implementation of the EXPLORE Act, which includes an expansion of the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA). Since 2014, GNA has been an effective policy that enables Tribal, state, and county governments to work closely with the Forest Service on restoration projects that take place on federal lands. The EXPLORE Act has expanded this authority, and the Forest Service is hosting this Tribal Forum to discuss the changes in the law and how they may benefit Tribes.  

 Date(s), Time, and Location:
 

• Feb. 11, 2026, at 2-3:30 p.m. EST, held virtually on Zoom. Register HERE  

Congressional Hearings: 

Looking Back:

Hearing: House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. 

Topic: Oversight hearing- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General (OIG) 

Highlights:  

The Subcommittee held an oversight hearing focusing on concerns about the independence and credibility of the new USDA Inspector General, alongside bipartisan urgency around rising SNAP fraud, national‑security threats to agriculture, and major USDA staffing shortfalls. Members pressed OIG leadership on modernizing oversight, strengthening data analytics, and addressing program vulnerabilities across nutrition, farm programs, broadband, and foreign farmland ownership, and the partial removal of the USDA’s socially disadvantaged category. Inspector General John Walk, newly sworn in, testified alongside senior OIG leadership.   

Read More HERE 

 Hearing: House Committee on Natural Resources on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. 

Topic: Making Federal Economic Development Programs Work in Indian Country 

Highlights:  

The Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on how federal economic development programs are functioning in Indian Country. Lawmakers and Tribal leaders examined whether these programs help or hinder Tribal economic growth. There was no specific mention of agricultural operations, but conversations centered heavily on SBA 8(a) programs, access to capital, CDFIs, loan guarantee programs, and federal contracting. There were also many calls to increase Tribal control over the administration of economic development programs. 

 Read More HERE

Looking Ahead:

Hearing: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. EST 

Topic: Economic Self-Determination in Action: Examining the Small Business Administration Native 8(a) Program 

Nominations:

National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council 

Description: The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) is a Congressionally designated advisory council to the Secretary of Agriculture on urban forestry and related issues. 

Deadline: February 17, 2026.  

Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC); Call for Nominations 

Description: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites nominations for membership on the FRRCC, which provides policy, advice, information, and recommendations to the EPA Administrator. Advice and recommendations given by FRRCC members are of concern to farms, ranches, and rural communities. Further information about the FRRCC can be found HERE. 

Deadline: March 2, 2026. 

Nominations for the National Park Service Alaska Region Subsistence Resource Commission Program 

Description: The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking nominations for individuals to represent subsistence users on the following Subsistence Resource Commissions (SRC): the Aniakchak National Monument SRC, the Cape Krusenstern National Monument SRC, the Denali National Park SRC, the Gates of the Arctic National Park SRC, the Kobuk Valley National Park SRC, the Lake Clark National Park SRC, and the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park SRC. The SRCs hold meetings to develop NPS subsistence program recommendations and advise on related regulatory proposals and resource management issues. For example, advise on the subsistence of hunting programs, determine seasons and harvest limits, deal with proposed development in and adjacent to the park, and other like activities. 

Deadline: Nominations must be postmarked by March 9, 2026.

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultive Committee 

Description: The purpose of this body is to ensure that the interests of U.S. stakeholders are considered in the development of positions and policy relative to U.S. participation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). 

Deadline: Nominations will be accepted at any time.

Regulatory/Rule Making Actions:

Title: Summer Food Service Program; 2026 Reimbursement Rates 

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service announces the annual adjustments to the reimbursement rates for meals in the Summer Food Service Program.  

• On average, the 2026 rates adjustments are 3.75 higher than the rates from 2025. 

Read More HERE