Senators demand the USDA fix its backlog of food distribution to Native American tribes
A group of bipartisan senators are demanding immediate action from Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsak after several tribes reported that a federal food distribution program they rely on has not fulfilled orders for months and in some cases has delivered expired food.
Last spring, the USDA consolidated from two contractors to one for deliveries from its Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. In a letter sent to Vilsak on Friday, the senators expressed concern that Native American families across the country are facing “extreme disruptions.”
“Participating households have not had consistent food delivery in over four months,” the senators wrote. “This is unacceptable.”
The Associated Press obtained an exclusive copy of the letter Thursday before it was sent to the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said he was dismayed to hear from five tribes in his state this summer that they are struggling to meet the needs of their families since consolidation.
“The USDA must address this self-inflicted crisis swiftly and comprehensively,” Merkley said in a statement. “There can no longer be excuses for food delivery delays, missed deliveries, or delivery of expired products.”
Merkley is joined in the letter by Republican Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, as well as Democrats Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Tina Smith of Minnesota.
More than 50,000 Native American families depend on this food, said Mary Greene-Trottier, who directs food distribution for the Spirit Lake Nation and is president of the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations.
“They’re doing without,” Greene-Trottier said. “Imagine being in the grocery store during Covid or a winter snowstorm and the shelves are empty. That’s the feeling they get.”
Officials with Spirit Lake Nation, a North Dakota tribe with about 7,600 members, said one order was only partially filled this month, and another order was not delivered at all the month before.
“We didn’t know our trucks weren’t going to show up until they didn’t show up,” Greene-Trottier said.
In a letter to Secretary Vilsak in July, she and other tribal officials expressed skepticism that the remaining contractor, Paris Brothers Inc., would have enough time to make the transition to becoming the sole supplier of food deliveries to dozens of tribes. The Kansas City, Missouri-based wholesale food company was given just four weeks to prepare for the increased workload, the letter said.
Paris Brothers Inc. declined to comment Thursday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has responded with updates in weekly calls with tribal leaders, and a consultation with tribes is scheduled for next month in Washington, D.C.
The agency said the decision to consolidate was the result of a competitive bidding process, and Paris Brothers was the only company the USDA board deemed capable of meeting the need. To help the contractor scale up to handle a larger influx of inventory, the agency has provided USDA staff to assist with customer service-related work with tribes and is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist with the company’s logistics program.
“Our first priority is to get food to where it’s needed,” the agency said in a statement. “In addition, we are reviewing our procurement process to prevent similar circumstances from happening in the future.”
The agency also helps tribes use other federal programs that can provide additional food and resources. The agency has also offered $11 million to tribes to help address the food shortage while Paris Brothers tries to catch up.
But Greene-Trottier said that money likely won’t go far enough, and tribal leaders have been told they won’t be eligible for reimbursement for additional costs. She’s relied on other programs and scarce resources to fill the gaps. The Spirit Lake Nation and others have even offered to drive to Missouri to pick up their food orders themselves, but Greene-Trottier said that request has been denied by the USDA.
On Thursday, Spirit Lake Nation officials said they were told that missing orders from July would be canceled and not executed. Vice Chair ReNa Lohnes said the tribe still hasn’t received its share of the $11 million, leaving them struggling with solutions and unsure how, if ever, they will become whole again.
Lohnes said she was concerned from the beginning, when the USDA announced the change, but she never expected to be where they are now. “Thinking we’re going to have to fight for food,” she said. “We’re told it’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming. And we wait and wait and nothing.”