New legislation that aims to expand food assistance for tribal households will be introduced in the U.S. Senate today, Native News Online has learned. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) are expected to file a new bill that would allow individuals who are eligible for both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) to use both programs in the same month. The proposed Tribal Access to Nutrition Assistance Act would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow for dual enrollment in the programs with a goal of increasing food security among Tribal communities, which suffer from rates of food insecurity that are much higher than the general public.
WASHINGTON, D.C.- New legislation introduced in the Senate would expand nutrition assistance to Tribal families across the country, including those on the Yakama Nation.