Sen. Fischer introduces bill requiring tribal consultation on federal nutrition program

The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, known as FDPIR, provides food to nearly 60,000 Americans living on and near tribal lands.

Participating households receive a package of U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved foods each month as an alternative to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The program is part of the United States government’s trust responsibility with sovereign tribes, outlined in government-to-government treaties.

Last year, supply chain disruptions led to months-long food shortages on reservations across the country, including the Winnebago Reservation in northeast Nebraska.

“The program was in real jeopardy of being able to serve the tribal members, the clients, and so it was really traumatizing to our community, because food scarcity is something that I think we deal with,” said Winnebago Tribal Council member Victoria Kitcheyan.

Kitcheyan said there was no communication with USDA, which caused the tribe to spend $18,000 of its own money to buy food for the community, one day before the FDPIR truck showed up.

“We need to be protecting and doing things in the most efficient manner,” she said. “If we're having instances like that, you know, I don't think tribes would have utilized those resources and we would have conserved them.”

A bill introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer on Thursday is aimed at preventing those problems from happening in the future.

Fischer’s Increasing Tribal Input on Nutrition Act would require the USDA to include tribal representatives when reviewing and awarding contracts under FDPIR and direct the USDA to designate an emergency contractor within 45 days of any supply chain disruption to nutrition programs on tribal lands.

It also allows the USDA to pay tribes directly to purchase food themselves during FDPIR delays.

“I’m pleased to introduce this bill to ensure that those who rely on food assistance programs in Tribal communities – including the elderly and low-income – are not impacted by federal government missteps,” Fischer said in a press release from her office. “The Increasing Tribal Input on Nutrition Act ensures that Tribal voices are at the table from the start and strengthens USDA’s response if disruptions occur.”

Kitcheyan said the bill will help codify processes that are essential to open communication.

“We want to be consulted when there are changes in policy or anything that would impact our tribal members,” she said. “We want to be able to have a seat at the table and to have a meaningful discussion on how these policy changes would uplift our program or perhaps be detrimental.”

Fischer, a Republican, introduced the legislation alongside her Democratic colleague from Minnesota, Sen. Tina Smith.

On the House side, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS-3) and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK-3), introduced a bill that would give tribal governments permanent control over running FDPIR earlier this year. It remains in the House Committee on Agriculture.

Winnebago Chairman Coly Brown said he appreciates Fischer’s leadership in addressing the issue.

“Last year’s FDPIR supply chain disruptions had a profound impact on something most of us take for granted — the ability to put food on the dinner table,” he said in a press release from Fischer’s office. “The Increasing Tribal Input on Nutrition Act of 2025 would help ensure food security for FDPIR participants during supply chain disruptions.”

As of June 2025, more than 1,200 Nebraskans participate in FDPIR. That’s up significantly from a low of 519 participants in December 2021 but still below an all-time high of more than 2,000 in 1995.