- Details
- By Aminah Syed
- Food | Agriculture
Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., reintroduced legislation that would expand nutrition assistance for tribal households by allowing eligible families to receive benefits through two federal food programs in the same month.
The Tribal Access to Nutrition Assistance Act would allow individuals who are eligible for both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) to use both programs in the same month.
“This legislation is a common-sense fix that will increase food security — making sure fewer people go hungry — and reducing the red tape and hurdles that result from frequent switching between programs,” Murray said in a July 24 news release.
Currently, individuals who qualify for both SNAP and FDPIR must choose one program each month. By contrast, eligible recipients of other federal nutrition programs, including WIC and TEFAP, may also receive SNAP benefits. The bill would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow eligible tribal households to participate in both SNAP and FDPIR simultaneously.
FDPIR provides USDA foods to eligible households on Indian reservations and in designated Native communities, while SNAP provides monthly benefits for grocery purchases.
The measure is backed by several tribal governments and Native organizations, including the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Native Farm Bill Coalition, the Intertribal Agriculture Council and the National Congress of American Indians.
Murray first introduced the legislation in 2023, but it did not advance out of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
