WASHINGTON D.C. – Tribal food programs within the State of Oklahoma and across the United States are experiencing funding cuts after it was announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cancelled the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). This program was responsible for providing funding to states and tribes to purchase food within their state or within 400 miles of delivery destinations. Particularly, it served healthy food and beverages to underserved regions and producers.
Tribes affected by the cancellation of this program include Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation and Osage Nation.
The cancellation of LFPA comes at a time of rising food insecurity rates. According to the USDA’s website, in 2023 13.5 percent of households, or approximately 18 million, were defined as food insecure. This was a rise from 2022, which saw 12.8 percent of households experience food insecurity. The concept of food insecurity is defined by the USDA as households that “at times during the year, were uncertain of having or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their family members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.” This includes households with low and very low food security.
For Native American communities, food insecurity numbers are worse. According to the National Library of Medicine, 25 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives face food insecurity. The rate in rural communities is even higher.
The cancellation of LFPA has seen opposition from U.S. Senators and calls to reverse it. Democratic Senators Michael Bennet, Senator Adam Schiff, along with 30 other senators believe the programs are necessary to fight food insecurity. In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, the letter states:
We write to express serious concerns regarding the cancellation of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs supporting local and regional food purchases providing assistance to those in need. These successful programs, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), allow states, territories, and Tribes to purchase local foods from nearby farmers and ranchers to be used for emergency food providers, schools, and child care centers.
At a time when food insecurity remains high, providing affordable, fresh food to food banks and families while supporting American farmers is critical. Notably, LFPA and LFS have benefitted producers and consumers by providing funding for purchases through all 50 states, four territories, and 84 tribal governments. Through LFPA and LFS, USDA has prioritized the procurement and distribution of healthy, nutritious, domestic food. It has also taken an important step towards igniting rural prosperity by expanding and strengthening markets among farmers and rural economies. As of December 2024, the programs had supported over 8,000 producers, providing increased marketing opportunities.
Although the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is not a listed recipient of the LFPA Tribal Government award purchases, the full list of tribes can be found on the USDA website, ams.usda.gov.
