White House Tribal Nations Summit

Description

Statement by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Announcing the Next White House Tribal Nations Summit - The White House. The White House has announced details for this year’s White House Tribal Leaders Summit. Taking place November 30 and December 1, the summit is a chance for tribal leaders to have their voices heard at the highest levels of government. The summit will also have announcements on the progress of previously announced initiatives as well as new ones. If you have questions, please reach out to TNS@who.eop.gov.

White House & USDA Initiatives

White House Tribal Leaders Summit

Date: November 30 – December 1

Details: The President will host the next White House Tribal Nations Summit on November 30 and December 1 at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Since taking office, the President has prioritized strengthening Nation-to-Nation relationships, honoring trust and treaty obligations with federally-recognized tribes, and advancing tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Through the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Administration is also making historic investments in tribal communities. Building on the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, this year’s Summit will be an opportunity for tribal leaders to engage directly with senior administration officials on implementation of these key priorities, new policies, and other important issues facing tribal communities.

The White House and the Secretary announced several new initiatives at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in November that benefit Indian Country. USDA and the Office of Tribal Relations are working hard at each of these initiatives:

 White House Initiatives/Executive Orders

• Executive Order on Equity and Barriers

• White House Memo on Tribal Consultation

• White House Memo on (ITEK) Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge

• Treaty Rights MOU

• Sacred Sites MOU

• Native Languages MOA

USDA Initiatives 

 • USDA Food Sovereignty Initiative

• USDA Tribal Self Determination Initiative

• USDA-DOI Joint Secretarial Order on Tribal Homelands

• USDA-DOI Tribal Treaty Database

Additional information can be found on the Summit website. Due to limited capacity, they can only accommodate one governmental representative per Tribe.

FNS has opened the application process for its second round of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Self-Determination Demonstration Projects. Applications are due January 31, 2022. Created in the 2018 Farm Bill, these tribes administering the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations can enter into self-determination contracts with USDA to directly purchase food for the FDPIR food packages distributed to their tribe. Eight tribes took part in the first round of the demonstration project with tremendous results, most purchasing local indigenous foods for their food packages. Please let FNS or OTR know if you have any questions.

The dedicated staff of OTR and USDA look forward to identifying opportunities to support your goals and objectives. If you need anything, please contact OTR at 202-205-2249 or via email at Tribal.Relations@usda.gov. Please also check out our website at www.usda.gov/tribalrelations.

Heather Dawn Thompson, Director: 202-205-2249

Deb Dumontier, 202-235-4950 (Tribal Self-Determination Initiative)

Josiah Griffin, 202-205-2249 (Economic Development, Farming/Ranching, and Supply Chain)

Jeff Harris, 202-768-0812 (Food, Research, Consultation, Youth, Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative) 

Taylor Schad, 202-875-9236 (Forest Service and Natural Resources)

Lila wopila (much thanks),

Heather Dawn Thompson

Director, USDA Office of Tribal Relations

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