Tens of thousands of members of Native American reservations rely on federal food distribution programs. Now, a group of senators are pushing government agencies to fulfill their obligations to these communities.
Bipartisan Efforts
A group of senators have come together in a bipartisan effort to hold the U.S. Department of Agriculture accountable for delaying vital food distribution programs from reaching Native American tribal reservations.
Letter to the USDA
The group, led by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, wrote a letter to USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack on August 23, urging the agency to take action and ensure food deliveries reach reservation communities on time.
Programs for Reservations
Their letter concerned the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), which is an alternative to the Food Stamp Program and supplies food to tens of thousands of people living on tribal reservations across the US.
Failure to Meet Timelines
Senators claimed that the program has failed to fulfill orders to certain tribes for months now, and have even delivered expired food due to the extensive delays.
“This is Unacceptable”
“Participating households have not had consistent food deliveries for over four months,” the letter reads. “This is unacceptable.”
Call to Action
Senators came together to write the letter on behalf of several tribal nations, which had contacted public officials about “extreme disruptions” in the program’s usual distribution schedule.
Republicans and Democrats
Besides Merkley, the group includes Republican Senators John Hoeven, Kevin Cramer, and Markwayne Mullin, as well as Democratic Senators Martin Heinrich, Ron Wyden, and Tina Smith.
Change in Contractors
The reports come shortly after the USDA reduced its delivery contractors for the program from two to one last year.
Paris Brothers Inc.
The FDPIR deliveries are now solely handled by Paris Brothers Inc., a Kansas City-based warehousing specialist company that provides warehousing, distribution, logistics, and manufacturing services.
Experiencing Serious Issues
“Since that change went into effect on April 1, 2024, participating Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) began to experience ‘[s]poradic deliveries, or incorrect orders and compromised best if used by dates,” the letter continued.
Four Months of Problems
For four months Native American reservations have struggled with these unfulfilled, incorrect, and expired orders. The delays are slowly boiling over into a food crisis for communities living on these affected reservations.
Advocates Come Forward
Mary Greene-Trottier, the president of the National Association of Food Distribution Programs for Native American Reservations, has also supported the letter by highlighting the problems it is causing for the more than 50,000 people who rely on the programs.
“The Shelves Are Empty”
“They’re going without,” Greene-Trottier told KFYR-TV. “Imagine showing up at the grocery store during COVID or a winter blizzard, and the shelves are empty. That’s the feeling that they get.”
No Prior Warnings
Greene-Trottier also acts as head of food distribution for the Spirit Lake Nation of North Dakota, which includes 7,600 members. She claimed the tribal nation was given no prior warning of delivery delays.
Orders Won’t be Fulfilled
“We didn’t know our trucks weren’t coming until they didn’t show up,” she said. The tribe has since been told that its past missing and delayed orders had been canceled and would not be fulfilled from a backlog.
The First Letter
Greene-Trottier and a group of tribal officials affected by the delay also sent a letter of their own to Vilsack in July, where they suggested that the Paris Brothers had not been given sufficient time to prepare itself to be sole contractor for the program.
Responses from Both
Neither letter has gone unanswered. Paris Brothers Inc. released a public statement acknowledging the concerns and explaining its efforts to “actively address” these distribution issues.
Meetings and Consultations
The USDA is also taking regular calls with leaders of affected tribes, has scheduled a consultation with tribal representatives in Washington D.C. next month, and has released public statements responding to the letters.
Searching for Solutions
“We recognize the impact these delays are having on the daily lives of FDPIR and CSFP participants,” an agency representative told Newsweek. “We are deeply committed to finding solutions for the immediate term while addressing underlying issues to restore a fully functional and dependable regular distribution system.”
Next Steps for the Program
The agency confirmed that it is now focusing on getting all scheduled orders out to reservation communities on time, and is currently reviewing the program “procurement process” to avoid further problems.
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