Senate Bill Seeks Permanent Funding for Tribal Food Programs

Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jim Justice (R-WV) introduced legislation to merge the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) programs into a USDA grant. The LFPA/LFS, launched during COVID-19, directed $1 billion to schools, food banks and tribal farmers before the USDA ended them in March 2025. The bill would let tribal governments buy produced foods for hunger-relief agencies and schools, reserving 10 % for tribal entities.

Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

Farmers Dawn and Cassius Spears run a Rhode Island farm growing heritage crops—white corn, succotash beans and crookneck squash. An August 2022 LFPA contract let them supply a Connecticut tribal farm, enabling tribes to add bison meat, wild berries and wild rice to food boxes.

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Senator Reed warned that ending USDA programs would push families toward less nutritious foods and urged mandatory funding to avoid a model. Hannah Quigley of National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition said funding certainty lets farmers plan purchases and staffing. Carly Griffith Hotvedt, executive director of Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, said the prior programs delivered culturally relevant, locally sourced foods to tribal members.

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Reed and Justice argue that an optional, annually-approved program would repeat past instability. Critics note that without mandatory, multi-year appropriations, Native American farms will keep facing “existing obstacles” limiting market access. House version requires annual funding; Senate draft seeks mandatory funding, leaving amounts and enforcement mechanisms undefined.

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• “They usually start out with a good song and dance. And they’re going to last a long time. And then something happens where they get cut.” — Cassius Spears, farmer

Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

• “We really want to punch through the existing obstacles for small farmers and Native American farmers,” — Jack Reed, U.S. Senator

Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

• “It wasn’t just commodity foods in that box. It was highly local, traditionally relevant, culturally relevant foods that were included,” — Carly Griffith Hotvedt, executive director, Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative

Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

• “If you take a person away from the land that they come from, then it’s like they’re not whole,” — Dawn Spears, farmer

Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

A permanent, funded market for Indigenous producers could reinforce tribal food sovereignty, preserve crops and improve nutrition for low-income tribal members while stabilizing farms facing economic pressure.

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House passed its version in April 2025; a Senate draft appeared in late June 2025. Lawmakers plan to embed the grant authority in the Farm Bill, with hearings slated for the fall and tribal advocates pushing for mandatory funding and the tribal set-aside.

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