A new federal program created by the Biden administration to reverse years of economic discrimination against U.S. farmers of color has ground to a halt.
The United States Department of Agriculture explains on how socially disadvantaged producers can receive help from the American Rescue Plan to pay up to 120% of loan balances, as of
Authors defend the bill while lawsuits say Black farmer loan forgiveness is reverse discrimination.
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Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
Two different lawsuits now challenge a USDA loan forgiveness program for farmers of color, including Black farmers, contained within in the COVID relief package advanced in the initial days of the Biden administration and Democrat-controlled Congress. While USDA and Congressional authors defend the program, the lawsuits claim it creates reverse discrimination.
The American Rescue Plan included provisions for USDA to pay up to 120% of loan balances, as of January 1, 2021, for Farm Service Agency Direct and Guaranteed Farm Loans and Farm Storage Facility Loans debt relief to any socially disadvantaged producer who has a qualifying loan with FSA. However, unlike the past use of the definition of “socially disadvantaged producers,” the latest loan forgiveness does not apply to white women. Previously, all women were included in t
Farmers Sue Biden Administration Over ‘Racist’ COVID Relief Plan
A disabled white farmer has sued President Joe Biden’s administration over his COVID-19 loan forgiveness program, alleging he can’t participate because he is white.
Adam Faust, a white resident of Chilton, Calumet County in Wisconsin, is one of five Midwestern farmers who filed a lawsuit on April 6 that accuses the federal government of violating their constitutional rights, Fox 11 reported.
The other plaintiffs are farmers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Ohio who have direct loans with the Farm Service Agency or USDA-backed loans and are “otherwise eligible for the loan-forgiveness program in ARPA, except for the color of their skin,” according to the lawsuit.