A group of senators, both Democrats and Republicans, are urgently calling on USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack to take immediate action after tribal nations reported significant issues with a federal food distribution program they heavily rely on. The program, which provides food to Native American families, has experienced months of unfulfilled orders and in some instances, delivered expired food items. The senators, in a letter addressed to Vilsack, expressed deep concern over the disruptions faced by Native American families nationwide due to this situation, deeming it unacceptable.

The USDA had consolidated its Food Distribution Program for Indian Reservations from two contractors to one last spring. Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon was shocked to hear from tribal nations in his state about the struggles their families have been facing since the consolidation. The senators emphasized the need for the USDA to promptly address this crisis, pointing out that there can be no more excuses for delays, missed deliveries, or the distribution of expired products.

Joining Sen. Merkley in the letter are Republican senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, and Democrats Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Tina Smith of Minnesota. Mary Greene-Trottier, who oversees food distribution for the Spirit Lake Nation and leads the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations, mentioned that over 50,000 Native American families rely on this food assistance but have been left without essential supplies.

Officials from Spirit Lake Nation, a tribe in North Dakota, revealed that recent food orders were either partially filled or never arrived, causing significant hardship. Greene-Trottier and other tribal officials previously expressed doubts in a letter to Secretary Vilsack about the capacity of the remaining contractor, Paris Brothers Inc., to handle the increased workload with such short notice. The USDA has been providing updates and assistance to the contractor to tackle the challenges.

While the USDA claims the decision to consolidate was made through a competitive bidding process and that Paris Brothers Inc. was the sole company considered able to meet the demand, the tribal leaders have been struggling to cope with the repercussions. The agency is assisting tribes in utilizing other federal programs to access additional food and resources, and has allocated $11 million to help tribal nations deal with food shortages while Paris Brothers catches up.

Nevertheless, Greene-Trottier doubts that the funding will be sufficient, and tribal leaders have been informed that they won’t be reimbursed for any extra costs incurred. Despite efforts by tribes to pick up their food orders themselves, they have been denied permission by the USDA. Spirit Lake Nation officials were told that missing orders from July would be canceled and left unfulfilled, leaving them uncertain about their future. Vice Chair ReNa Lohnes expressed disappointment over the situation, mentioning that they have been repeatedly promised help that has not materialized.