Summary: 

• Today is the last day to register for the Oct. 22 Tribal consultation on proposed changes to SNAP. That consultation is still happening regardless of the government shut down. IFAI will release an analysis piece following the consultation. 

• IFAI has a comment template for FDA/USDA request on comments defining ultra processed foods due on Oct. 23. This could shape what foods are allowed in programs like the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), school meals, and other nutrition assistance programs. Read the summary and comment template letter here. 

• Despite the government shutdown, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Senate Agriculture Committee holds a hearing to review several bills including the reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act (H.R.4550) and the Fix our Forests Act (S.1462). 

• DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs will conduct two in-person and two virtual sessions in a series of consultations from Nov. 10-19, 2025, about Secretarial Order 3443, which concerns elevating and unifying DOI’s Wildland Fire Management Program. Note, there is a venue change for the Albuquerque, NM session on Nov. 13. 

• USDA confirmed it would accept comments on the proposed departmental reorganization through Nov. 15 at tribal.relations@usda.gov Read the IFAI analysis here.  

• Join IFAI and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for the release of our Governance Guide. We are excited to tell you more about what is in the guide, how we envision it being used, and the work that IFAI is doing to help encourage tribal sovereignty through food sovereignty. Register here. 

Outreach Calendar

Tribal Consultations/Listening Sessions/Advisory Committee Meetings: 

Title of Event: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Consultation 

About: This consultation will cover one policy and three proposed rules SNAP, administered at the Federal level by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).   

1. SNAP Tribal Work Exception Authorized in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 
2. Proposed Rule: Updated Staple Food Stocking Standards for Retailers in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 
3. Interim Final Rule: SNAP Changes to Federal-State Administrative Cost-Sharing 
4. Proposed Rule: SNAP Changes to Federal-State Benefit Cost Sharing 

•  Date(s), Time and Location 
  • Oct. 22, 2025 from 1-3 p.m. EST 
• Proxy Letter Template  
• Tribal Invitation  

About: This series of consultations will cover the Department’s effectiveness in wildland fire response. Oral and written comments will be accepted.  

• Date(s), Time, and Location: 
  • Nov. 10, 2025 (Monday) at 3-5 p.m. EST (Virtual) Register 
  • Nov. 13, 2025 (Thursday) at 1:30-3:30 p.m. MST (In-person) 

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Auditorium
9169 Coors Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87121 

• • Nov. 17, 2025 (Monday) at 3-5 p.m. MST (Virtual) Register 
  • Nov. 19, 2025 (Wednesday) at 3:15-4:45 p.m. PST (In-person) 

National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 82nd Annual Convention Seattle Convention Center, Arch Building
705 Pike Street Seattle, WA 98101 

• Dear Tribal Leader Letter 
• Secretarial Order 3443 

Congressional Hearings: 

There were no hearings relevant to Indian Country Food and Agriculture last week. 

Looking Ahead:

Hearing: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, at 9:15 a.m. EDT 

Topic: Business meeting to consider several bills including the reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act (H.R.4550) and the Fix our Forests Act (S.1462). 

Nominations:

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:

There are no Federal Register notices relevant to Tribal food and agriculture.