WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, led a roundtable discussion, titled “Native Priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill Reauthorization,” to hear directly from Native agricultural experts and leaders on their communities’ priorities as Congress begins working on the sweeping agricultural and food policy legislation known as the Farm Bill.

 “The Farm Bill has far-reaching and multi-year impacts on communities across the country, but it wasn’t until the last Farm Bill in 2018 that Tribes and Native communities had a meaningful seat at the table,” said Chairman Schatz.“The next Farm Bill is another opportunity for us to collaborate, build on incredible progress, and further advance federal agricultural policy that includes Native priorities and reflects their voices.”

 “SCIA’s roundtable illustrates the importance of the 2023 Farm Bill to American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities,” said Vice Chairman Lisa Murkowski. “I look forward to our committee partnering with tribal leaders and organizations to build on the successes of the 2018 Farm Bill, particularly in a way that expands opportunities for tribal self-determination and self-governance across the country, including in Alaska.”

 The following witnesses participated in the roundtable:

• Ms. Mahina Paishon-Duarte, Co-Founder, ??ina Aloha Economic Futures, Honolulu, HI
• Ms. Madeline Soboleff Levy, General Counsel, Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Juneau, AK
• Ms. Kelsey Scott, Director of Programs, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Gettysburg, SD
• Mr. Ryan Lankford, Chairman, Montana State FSA Committee and Island Mountain Development Group, Chinook, MT
• Mr. Vincent Cowboy, Chief Operations Officer, Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, Farmington, NM
• Mr. Trenton Kissee, Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources for Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Claremore, OK
• Ms. Mary Greene Trottier, President, National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations, Fort Totten, ND
• Mr. Dustin Schmidt, Producer, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, White River, SD

 The full video of the roundtable is available here.

 The Committee will accept written comments on the roundtable topic at testimony@indian.senate.gov through April 5, 2023. 

  Alaska, committee on indian affairs, congress, farm bill, murkwski, natives, schatz, tribes