Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and other top officials will host tribal leaders on Wednesday, November 4, in Washington, D.C.

The event is designed to facilitate dialogue between tribes and the department. It comes a day before the White House Tribal Nations Conference with President Barack Obama.

"USDA is looking forward to this first-of-its-kind meeting to expand cooperation and consultation between the Department of Agriculture and tribal nations," said Secretary Tom Vilsack. "We anticipate beginning robust government-to-government dialogues about how USDA can improve as a service provider and raise awareness among tribes about the multitude of ways that USDA works to improve the lives of our nation's tribal communities."

The meeting is scheduled from 8 am. to 10:15 am on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in Room 107-A of the Jamie L. Whitten Building, which is located at 1400 Independence Ave., SW, at the Smithsonian Metro station. It is open to tribal leaders, members and other representatives. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by Noon on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to Jennifer Yezak or Oscar Gonzales of USDA's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with the names of those who will be attending from your Tribe. They can be reached at (202) 720-6643, or by email at intergovernmental@osec.usda.gov .

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Labor Department Secretary Hilda L. Solis are also hosting tribal leaders during the week.

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