USDA under pressure to resolve food distribution issues with Native American tribes

A bipartisan group of senators is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address what they call “unacceptable” services provided to Native American reservations by a federal food distribution program.

The Associated Press (AP) reported Friday that it had obtained a copy of a letter the senators wrote before it was sent to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsak. The letter was reportedly written after several tribal nations complained that a food distribution program run by the Agriculture Department had not fulfilled some orders for months and delivered expired goods at other times.

The senators reportedly wrote that Native American families experienced “extreme disruption” after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reduced the number of suppliers for its food distribution program on Indian reservations from two to one last spring.

“Participating households have not received regular food deliveries for over four months,” the senators wrote in the letter to Vilsak, according to AP. “This is unacceptable.”

Newsweek reached out to the USDA via email on Friday seeking comment.

According to AP, the letter was written by Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Tina Smith of Minnesota. Among the Republican senators included in the letter were John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.

“USDA must address this self-inflicted crisis quickly and comprehensively,” Merkley said in a statement. “There can be no more excuses for food delays, missed deliveries or the delivery of expired products.”

Mary Greene-Trottier, who as president of the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations oversees food distribution for the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota, told AP that more than 50,000 Native American families rely on the government program’s food.

“They have to go without,” Greene-Trottier said. “Imagine going to the grocery store during COVID or a winter storm and the shelves are empty. That’s the feeling they get.”

Paris Brothers Inc., the sole contractor for the food distribution program, told AP it is “actively addressing” the recent problems.

According to AP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture held weekly calls with tribal leaders and provided agency staff to Paris Brothers to help the company communicate with tribes, and worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support the contractor’s logistics program.

“Our first task was to get food to where it was needed,” the USDA said in a statement. “We are also currently reviewing our procurement processes to prevent similar circumstances from recurring in the future.”