USDA Opens Eight Seats on Tribal Advisory Committee for Nominations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is soliciting nominations for eight vacancies on the Tribal Advisory Committee, the panel that advises the Secretary of Agriculture on matters relating to Tribal and Indian affairs. Nomination packages must be submitted by email no later than December 8, 2026, through Josiah Griffin, the committee’s Designated Federal Officer. The solicitation was published as a notice in the Federal Register of Friday, October 23, 2026 (Vol. 91, No. 204, p. 66830), under document 2026–21655.

The committee was established pursuant to section 12303 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115–334) and is composed of eleven members serving staggered terms. Its remit is defined by reference to the jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, as set out in Section 25 of S. Res. 71, 103rd Congress, covering all matters pertaining to American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native peoples. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson are elected by the committee from among its own members.

Who fills the eight seats

The notice, issued under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 10), assigns the appointments to six congressional officials, each drawing on the same pool of nominations submitted in response to this notice:

• The Chair and the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture each appoint two members, for four seats in total.
• The Chair and the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs each appoint one member, for two seats.
• The Chair and the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry each appoint one member, for two seats.

Appointees serve three years starting from their date of appointment, and members may serve on only one USDA advisory committee at a time. Candidates and alternates selected for potential appointment must undergo a USDA background check.

Who may nominate and what to file

Nominations may be submitted only by signatories authorized to represent an Indian tribe as defined by 25 U.S.C. 5304, a Tribal organization as defined by the same provision, or a national or regional organization with expertise in the issues before the committee. USDA lists intertribal consortia, national and regional tribal-serving organizations, land-grant institutions and credit institutions such as Native Community Development Financial Institutions among eligible nominators, and notes that nominees are not required to represent the nominating entity.

A complete package must be typed and contain three elements:

• A nomination letter of no more than two pages, signed by a representative authorized to act for the nominating entity, summarizing the nominee’s qualifications.
• A resume or curriculum vitae limited to five one-sided pages, covering affiliations, areas of expertise, education, career and other notable positions, and geographic regions served.
• A completed Advisory Committee or Research and Promotion Background Information form (AD–755), signed by the nominee.

Additional letters of endorsement are optional.

Membership balance and meeting cadence

USDA said it encourages nominees who reflect the breadth of American agriculture, including farmers and ranchers, food businesses, subsistence foragers, foresters, agriculture educators and land-grant faculty and staff, extension and technical assistance specialists, agriculture financiers, Tribal leaders and Tribal government officials, and agriculture and forestry law experts. Equal opportunity practices will be followed in all appointments.

The committee is required by law to meet at least twice in person each year and is expected to convene quarterly, with virtual sessions between the in-person meetings. All meetings will be announced in the Federal Register.

The notice is signed by Cikena Reid, USDA Committee Management Officer, and dated October 16, 2026.

Eight of the committee’s eleven seats are in play in a single cycle, and the choice rests with the congressional leaders who oversee farm policy and Indian affairs rather than with the department itself. For tribes and tribal organizations, the December deadline is the only route into a pool that all six appointors will read, which makes the completeness of the nomination letter, resume and AD–755 form the practical test for any candidate seeking a voice in how USDA shapes policy affecting Native communities.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 204, 23 October 2026, Notices, p. 66830 (official reference: 2026–21655).