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At the 2023 White House Tribal Youth Summit, USDA offers new resources to inspire Native American youth to explore Indigenous foodways and knowledge and highlight career paths at USDA and beyond. These efforts are part of USDA’s commitment to empowering tribal self-determination and bringing Indigenous perspectives into agriculture, food, and nutrition.

USDA is announcing partnerships for a new, interagency pilot project aimed at offering more localized ground bison meat for tribal communities through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.

USDA signed contracts with eight tribes for new Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Self-Determination Demonstration Projects. Empowering tribal nations to select and purchase foods themselves helps better align FDPIR food packages with tribal dietary preferences, supports indigenous agricultural producers and honors tribal sovereignty.

USDA FNS today recognized significant progress made across the nation’s nutrition assistance programs and broader nutrition security efforts during the Biden-Harris second year in office. As President Biden prepares for the 2023 State of the Union address, he will reflect on last year’s progress and forge ahead in the fight against hunger and increase access to nutritious foods for all Americans by supporting vital FNS programs that assist families in navigating the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, such as high food costs and supply shortages.

One year after the reinstatement of the White House Tribal Nations Summit, USDA is sharing its actions to better serve tribal governments, citizens, and organizations and honor our nation’s trust and treaty responsibility. The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are taking steps to empower tribal self-determination, promote equity and remove barriers to services and programs, and incorporate Indigenous perspectives.

The USDA Office of Tribal Relations has released the newest editions of the USDA Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives 2022 and the USDA Native Youth Resource Guide 2022. Each of these guides provides valuable information to Indian Country and can serve as a roadmap of USDA resources and services available to tribal governments, citizens, and organizations.

FNS announced today that it will interpret the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, SNAP to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

USDA announces the “USDA Tribal Consultations on Barriers/Equity: Annual Progress Report & Feedback for Next Steps.” This five-day consultation series follows up on the March 2021 consultations held in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities. 

FNS is committed to promoting equity and inclusion through its federal nutrition assistance programs and today, is celebrating advancements made over the past year while acknowledging the long journey ahead. Throughout the past year, the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA have worked side-by-side to provide those in need with better, fairer access to a healthy diet, with a focus on closing gaps in access for historically disadvantaged and underserved populations.