Summary:

• IFAI and NAFDPIR will be hosting a Virtual Tribal Leader Caucus on June 16 at 1-2pm CT on the upcoming FDPIR consultation. IFAI will provide policy updates and background on consultation topics. announced by USDA. Register for the FDPIR Tribal Leader Caucus HERE.

• Congress is busy this week! We will be keeping up with seven different committee hearings all relevant to Tribal food and agriculture.

General Ag Policy Updates:

• The USDA announced the enrollment period and payment rates for the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program. They will issue $1.625 billion in payments to eligible specialty crop producers in response to elevated input costs and market disruptions resulting from foreign competition. 

• The Farm Service Agency is opening a 2026 opportunity to update and expand base acres in ARC/PLC programs, potentially adding up to 30 million acres to commodity safety net coverage. Landowners have from June 1 through Aug. 31, 2026, to review their owner notification and base allocation summary(s). 

• The House Rules Committee meets this week to formulate a rule on H.R. 8646, the “Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027.” 

• Congress is revisiting the long-running debate over horse slaughter as lawmakers consider a bipartisan proposal that would ban the transport of horses for slaughter for human consumption, aiming to prevent U.S. horses from being shipped to Mexico and Canada each year. Supporters argue the measure would prevent inhumane treatment and effectively end the slaughter pipeline, while opponents have raised concerns with the environmental damage of exponentially growing horse populations on rangelands. The Intertribal Horse Coalition has opposed similar legislation. LINK HERE

• A coalition of 24 organizations—including Native nonprofits and Tribal-serving groups—joined a lawsuit challenging the USDA’s cancellation of more than $127 million in grants intended to support farmland access, agricultural lending, and farmer training through the Increasing Land, Capital and Market Access initiative. The plaintiffs argue the terminations were unlawful and improperly treated Tribal-serving programs as DEI initiatives, emphasizing that Tribes are sovereign political entities and seeking to have the funding restored to continue projects supporting underserved and Tribal producers.

Outreach Calendar:

General Policy Update:

Tribal Consultation/Listening Sessions/Advisory Committee Meetings:

Title of Event: FDPIR Tribal Leader Consultation Working Group.
About: This is the first meeting of the Consultation Working Group for 2026, covering ongoing topics including program administration and policy updates, food package availability, procurement challenges, and funding levels. The meeting will be held in person with an option for virtual attendance. The agenda will be posted when it is available.

Date(s), Time, and Location:
Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST
NAFDPIR Annual Conference
Sheraton Niagara Falls
300 Third Street
Niagara Falls, NY, USA, 14303
Room TBD

All participants must register by June 22, 2026, HERE

Written comments must be submitted by July 23, 2026, to sm.fn.tribalaffairs@usda.gov

Dear Tribal Leader Letter

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:

• June 2026 (alongside the NAFDPIR Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, NY): REGISTER.

Congressional Updates: 

Looking Back:

The House and Senate were out of session last week.

Looking Ahead:

House of Representatives Floor Schedule on Tues. June 2 at 12 p.m. EST

Agenda:

• R. 7831 (Rep. Mike Kennedy) – License to Drill Act
• R. 4463 (Rep. Ralph Norman) – To amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.
• R. 5682 (Rep. Darrell Issa) – To take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes.
• R. 6162 (Rep. Melanie Stansbury) – Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025
• R. 7250 (Rep. Troy Downing) – To reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000.
• R. 3922 (Rep. Joe Neguse) – Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act
• R. 41 (Rep. Nick Begich) – Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act
• R. 1687 (Rep. Russ Fulcher) – CLEAN Act

Hearing: Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee on Tues. June 2 at 10 a.m. EST
Topic: U.S. Forest Service Oversight
Meeting: House Rules Committee on Tues. June 2 at 4 p.m. EST
Topic: H.R. 8646 (119), the “Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027”
Markup: House Appropriations Committee on Tues. June 2 at 2 p.m. EST

Hearing: House Agriculture Committee on Thurs. June 4 at 10 a.m. EST
Topic: For the Purpose of Receiving Testimony from the Honorable Brooke L. Rollins, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Hearing: Senate Appropriations Committee on Thurs. June 4 at 10 a.m. EST
Topic: “Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 2027”

Hearing: House Natural Resources Committee on Thurs. June 4 at 10:15 a.m. EST
Topic: Federal Forests/ Wildfire Year Outlook 

Nominations:

APHIS seeks nominations for the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) General Conference Committee 

Description: The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) General Conference Committee is accepting nominations for members and alternates from three regions: South Atlantic, West North Central, and South Central. The Committee advises the Secretary of Agriculture on poultry health and plans the NPIP’s conference, which occurs every two years. Members are selected by a majority vote of NPIP delegates from each region.  

Deadline: Nominations must be received by June 30, 2026. 

Regulatory/Rule Making Actions:

Title: Rural Business Cooperative Service opens Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG) for FY26  

• USDA announced last week that the Rural Development RBDG grant program is open for applications. This program, intended to foster economic development and job creation opportunities, includes a subset of funding that supports rural transportation projects. Rural transportation awards will be used to support the development of rural passenger transportation systems. Federally recognized Tribal governments are eligible for this award. Interested Tribes can learn more on the RD website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-business-development-grants.

   

• The deadline for application is June 30, 2026.