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- By Chez Oxendine
- Food | Agriculture
As Brooke Rollins, the 33rd Secretary of Agriculture, settles into her newly confirmed role, the Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC) has one major request: help Native Americans help themselves.
The NFBC laid out its priorities for the new secretary in a letter shared with Tribal Business News. The Coalition — an advocacy group composed of Native American agriculture organizations and tribal stakeholders — outlined self-governance, USDA program access, and solutions to warehouse distribution problems as key priorities.
True to its name, the NFBC’s first priority is passing a new Farm Bill. Specifically, the NFBC wants that bill to expand self-governed food distribution programs under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act’s 638 provision, which allows tribes to take over administration of federal programs for their own communities.
The 2018 Farm Bill launched a pilot program that enabled eight tribes and tribal-serving organizations to administer their own Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) initiatives. These tribes now purchase culturally relevant foods from nearby suppliers rather than using USDA food packages. The NFBC continues to advocate for expanding the program and increasing its funding.
“638 has consistently proven to be the most cost-effective approach in administering federally supported programs in Indian Country,” wrote NFBC co-chairs Kari Jo Lawrence and Cole Miller. “Its authority enables a practical expression of Tribal sovereignty – that Tribal governments know how to best meet the needs of their people and local communities, and how to do so efficiently.”
NFBC says self-governance is especially important in the wake of disastrous interruptions to USDA food package programs last year, per prior Tribal Business News reporting. The USDA’s decision to use a single vendor for FDPIR and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program led to distribution delays that affected tribal inventories into early 2025, according to NFBC.
Expanding tribal control of these food programs and allowing tribes to source fresh foods would help “permanently resolve” warehouse issues and ensure food security, the coalition wrote.
“Because Tribes can voluntarily opt-in to such an agreement with USDA, the authority would allow them the ability to work with the department to tailor the program to local needs,” Miller and Lawrence wrote. “It has been a game changer for rural America in other federal departments. It would be no different in the USDA.”
New Leadership
The Senate confirmed Rollins on Feb. 13 with a 72-to-28 vote. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas swore her in the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.
An attorney, Rollins previously served as founder, president, and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. She also held advisory positions in the first Trump administration as the director for the Domestic Policy Council and assistant to the president for strategic initiatives. In her opening remarks, Rollins said she would cut administration costs, return USDA workers to their offices, and address what she called the “worst economic straits” for American producers in “nearly a century.”
Rollins steps into her role amid complex agricultural challenges. Immigration policy changes could reduce available farm workers, while proposed trade measures might trigger tariffs affecting U.S. crop exports. At her confirmation hearing, she discussed balancing these agricultural concerns with the administration's border security goals. As the nation's leading agricultural exporter, U.S. farms - especially those growing corn and soybeans - could face significant market impacts from any trade disputes.
“We have much to do together. The need is acute,” Rollins said. “These are challenges and conversations we cannot avoid — and we do not wish to. We will be at the center of both, and we will meet them both with the professionalism and patriotism that is the foundation of this Department and its mission.”
In a letter to governors and tribal leaders, Rollins outlined challenges facing American agriculture. She cited a growing food trade deficit, which stands at $32 billion and could reach $45.5 billion in 2025. She also noted a 7% decline in active farms between 2017 and 2022 and a 30% percent increase in production costs in 2024 as compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Rollins also addressed increasing instances of avian flu, the rising average age for American farmers, and needed improvements to infrastructure and internet connectivity. She called for state and tribal administrations to collaborate on “bold solutions” to the issues ahead.
“I look forward to meeting with you in the coming months, and to partnering with you on bold solutions,” Rollins wrote. “I know that many of the best ideas will come from the states, and your leadership will serve as a model for the nation.”
In her first weeks as secretary, Rollins has held meetings with various agricultural groups, including a roundtable with Mid-Atlantic farmers at USDA headquarters on Feb. 20. She has also visited Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri and Texas.
Since taking office, Rollins has also implemented President Donald Trump’s executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as well as cost-cutting measures suggested by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The USDA canceled 78 contracts totaling $132 million and is reviewing an additional 1,000 contracts under review, according to a White House press release.
Rollins has signaled plans to shift federal policy on avian flu, including allowing vaccines and reducing depopulation requirements. The USDA also announced it would release $20 million in previously frozen funding for conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. The $20 million represents a fraction of outstanding agreements, and the department has not specified the total amount it plans to pay.
Agricultural organizations nationwide have largely supported Rollins’ appointment, expressing hopes she will address a longstanding need for a modernized Farm Bill, improve trade positions for farmers, and tackle labor challenges.
“The American agricultural economy is facing immense problems, including rising input costs, global competition, and uncertain market conditions,” Sheridan, Wyo.-based advocacy nonprofit Farmers for Free Trade wrote in a statement. “Secretary Rollins’ leadership will be critical in ensuring that U.S. farmers and ranchers remain competitive.”
Other organizations urged Rollins to clarify confusion from early actions by the Trump administration — particularly a broadly-applied federal funding freeze issued and then rescinded through the Office of Management and Budget in late January.
“For weeks now, farmers and communities have been subjected to the chaos and uncertainty of an indiscriminate federal funding freeze, including unlawful contract terminations,” wrote the Washington D.C.-based National Sustainable Agriculture Council in a statement posted to their website. “Secretary Rollins’ first order of business must be to relieve and reverse the pain and confusion being felt by farmers and communities nationwide from the federal funding freeze.”
The Native Farm Bill Coalition expressed readiness to address challenges in Indian Country, according to its co-chairs.
“We know we have a lot of work yet to do,” Miller and Lawrence wrote. “We look forward to working with you in your new leadership role to enact a bipartisan Farm Bill that includes the Tribal provisions included in both of the 118th Congress Farm Bill proposals and to drive meaningful change for those who rely on USDA daily.”
