Tribal communities suffer disproportionately from food insecurity, new legislation would dramatically increase nutrition assistance for individuals eligible for both SNAP and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Senador Murray: “Tribal families and individuals in Washington state and across the country should not be forced to pick between nutrition assistance programs each month when they plainly need, are eligible for, and should have access to both.”
Washington DC - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced new legislation that would expand nutrition assistance to Tribal families by allowing individuals who are eligible for both Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) to use both programs in the same month. The Tribal Access to Nutrition Assistance Act would increase food security among Tribal communities—who suffer from much higher rates of food insecurity than the general public—and eliminate the administrative burden that comes with forcing individuals who qualify by both SNAP and FDPIR to pick between programs each month.
"Tribal families and individuals in Washington state and across the country should not be forced to pick between nutrition assistance programs each month when they plainly need, are eligible for, and should have access to both,” dijo el senador Murray. “This legislation is a common-sense fix that will increase food security—making sure fewer people go hungry—and reduce the administrative burdens and hurdles that result from frequent switching between programs. Individuals who are eligible for other food assistance programs, like WIC, can use those benefits on top of SNAP—and there’s no reason that the FDPIR benefits that are so important to Tribal communities should not work the same way. I’m glad to be introducing this new bill with my friend, Senator Cortez Masto, and will be working hard to get this passed.”
An estimated 276 Tribes across the country receive benefits under FDPIR and the program served 75,000 Native American adults and children each month in the 202o Fiscal Year, including approximately 1,700 individuals from Washington State. FDPIR is intended to be a supplemental food package and is not enough to meet the nutritional needs of Tribal individuals—however, a study by USDA found that FDPIR is the sole or primary source of food for 38 percent of households who are enrolled in it. According to a 2009 estudio by the Urban Institute, 87 percent of FDPIR participants are eligible for SNAP, meaning that the senators’ new legislation would provide dual enrollment to an estimated 65,250 Tribal individuals nationwide.
“I am proud to fight alongside Senator Murray to make sure Tribes in Nevada can put food on the table and keep their families fed,” dijo el Senador Cortez Masto. “Tribal members should never be in a position where they go hungry, and it’s commonsense to make sure Indian Country has access to the same food assistance programs as everyone else so these communities can get the food they need to stay healthy.”
Antecedentes adicionales:
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides USDA foods to income-eligible households living on Indian reservations and to Native American households residing in designated areas near reservations or in Oklahoma. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps low-income individuals and families by providing monthly benefits to purchase food.
Right now, individuals who qualify for both SNAP and FDPIR cannot use both programs in the same month—they are forced to pick one. This is not representative of any other food program combination—for example, individuals who qualify for both SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or SNAP and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), may use both. The Tribal Access to Nutrition Assistance Act will allow individuals who qualify for both SNAP and FDPIR to use both programs in the same month, increasing food security among Tribal communities.
The legislation is supported by the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Native Farm Bill Coalition, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, the National Congress of American Indians, the Seattle Indian Health Board, the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations, and Tahoma Peak.
Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis said, “We are most appreciative that Senator Murray is introducing this legislation. The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides USDA foods to low-income Indians living on Indian reservations or in designated areas near tribal homelands. However, what appears to be a glitch in the law presently prohibits an Indian family participating in the FDIPR program from also participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the same month of the year, even though FDIPR is not intended to be comprehensive. This act fixes that glitch and will definitely aid households here on the Yakama Reservation, even more so with the cost of foods rising and with limited availability of affordable food.”
“The Colville Reservation is located in two of the lowest-income counties in the state of Washington. We recognize the importance of allowing tribal citizens to access both the SNAP and FDIR programs without administrative burdens,” said Karen Condon, Vice-Chair of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. “We support the legislation and urge its swift passage.”
“As the law is currently written, Native Americans are statutorily barred from using FDPIR and SNAP in the same month despite laws allowing other individuals to qualify for multiple federal feeding programs, such as TEFAP and SNAP or WIC and SNAP, in the same month. This creates an administrative headache for certification of anyone who chooses to move between programs and unfairly targets Native Americans who need greater access to healthy, nutritious foods,” said Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Vice-Chairman Cole Miller and Intertribal Agriculture Council Executive Director Kari Jo Lawrence, who co-chair the Native Farm Bill Coalition. "Él Tribal Access to Nutrition Assistance Act would promote food security in Indian Country by removing an unprincipled barrier and authorizing Native Americans to access both FDPIR and SNAP on par with individuals using other federal feeding programs.”
El texto completo de la Tribal Access to Nutrition Assistance Act es AQUÍ.
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