Haaland, Luján, Grijalva Introduce House Bill to Increase Access to Nutritious Meals for Native Kids

Statement

Today, Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus Deb Haaland (NM-01), Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (NM-03), and Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03) introduced legislation that would increase access to nutritious meals for Native American kids by giving Tribes the authority to directly provide Child Nutrition Programs. The Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2019 recognizes that Tribes understand the needs of their communities best, especially when it comes to ensuring children have consistent, healthy, and nutritious meals all year long.

Limited access to affordable and nutritious food in Indian Country puts Native American children at a high risk of hunger and nutrition-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. This bill would help reduce this risk by allowing federally recognized Tribes to directly administer programs like the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which is especially important for Tribes like the Navajo Nation that straddle New Mexico, Arizona and Utah and otherwise must go through state agencies to access these resources.

"No matter where a child lives, they should not have to worry about where their next meal comes from. However, the limitations that Tribes have to administer food assistance programs for kids make food insecurity a persistent problem in Indian Country," said Co-Chair Haaland. "This bill will help ensure children don't go hungry by ensuring Tribes can administer food assistance programs directly."

"Far too many Native American children struggle with food insecurity and obesity. Congress needs to be making it easier, not harder, for Tribal nutrition programs to operate in their communities. I'm proud to be a sponsor of the Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2019 because it provides more options to tribes to feed more children," said Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján.

"As sovereign governments, tribes should have the ability to exercise control over the nutrition programs they want to offer their members," said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva. "This legislation is a step in the right direction. By removing state governments as an intermediary and allowing tribes the ability to determine their own nutritional programs, tribes will be able to respect their cultural food traditions and keep their communities healthy."

U.S. Senator Tom Udall introduced Senate companion bill today, it is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

"Tribal schools and Native families still face too many barriers to accessing important hunger and nutrition-related services. With half of all Native children at risk of developing diabetes in their lifetime, it is critical that Tribal governments can directly administer Child Nutrition Programs that help prevent food insecurity and promote healthy diets. The Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act gives Tribes the ability to manage and deliver important food programs for Native students who otherwise may struggle to access consistent or adequate nutrition," said Udall. "This legislation makes sure that Native students have access to nutritious foods so they can focus on their education, instead of worrying about their next meal."

Support for the Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2019

Several Tribal governments and community organizations endorsed the Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2019, including New Mexico Appleseed, Navajo Nation, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Native Farm Bill Coalition, the Food and Research Action Center, and the National Congress of American Indians.

"Too many tribal children struggle with hunger every day," said Jennifer Ramo, Executive Director of New Mexico Appleseed. "We need to make accessing USDA meals as easy as possible for those children and the Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act does just this. It seeks to ensure that tribal children will get school breakfast, lunch, afterschool and summer meals and the nutrition they need to grow and thrive."

"This bill is a bold step in the right direction toward breaking down barriers for tribes to directly manage food programs by allowing us to offer more traditional and healthier foods that will benefit our children and families and further demonstrates tribal self-governance," said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.

"Ensuring food security remains a priority across Indian Country, especially for American Indian and Alaska Native Youth," said Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians. "For many of our Native youth, the meals they receive at school are sometimes the only food they have access to on a consistent basis. We thank Senator Udall for reintroducing the Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act, which would further the exercise of tribal self-determination and self-governance over food assistance programs and improve food security for our Native youth."

"Thank you to Senators Udall, Cortez Masto, and Smith and Representatives Haaland, Luján, and Grijalva for reintroducing this legislation to increase the capacity of tribally driven efforts to improve food and nutrition access for Native children everywhere," said Keith Anderson, Vice-Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Co-Chair of the Native Farm Bill Coalition.

"The Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act will not only provide improved food access for Native youth, but it also creates opportunities for Indian Country's farmers and ranchers to incorporate Native and traditional foods in school and after-school feeding programs," said Zach Ducheneaux, Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council and Co-Chair of the Native Farm Bill Coalition.