Senators demand the USDA fix its backlog of food distribution to Native American tribes

Associated Press

A bipartisan group of senators is expressing concern over the USDA’s decision to use a single contractor to distribute food to Indian Reservations. The federal program provides food assistance to 50,000 Native American families across the country. The senators’ letter to USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack on Friday says food has arrived sporadically, late or not at all since a single Kansas City wholesaler took on the entire job. The USDA has made $11 million in federal aid available and is helping the company scale up. Tribal leaders say the change has increased food insecurity for some of the country’s most impoverished communities.