The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) and the Association of American Indian Farmers (AAIF) filed a conditional motion to intervene in a lawsuit
Plaintiffs who claimed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) debt relief program associated with a COVID-19 pandemic aid bill was a breach of
Agriculture Secretary Responds to Lawsuit Claiming COVID-19 Aid Should Not Be Based on Race
May 6, 2021
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday told reporters in a daily White House briefing that the department plans to proceed with a $4 billion loan forgiveness program earmarked for socially disadvantaged farmers, despite a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Texas claiming that it is unconstitutional because white farmers are not eligible.
Vilsack explained that these socially disadvantaged producers have experienced discrimination from the USDA and that, in the past, the USDA has “reimbursed people” for the discrimination, noting that the department has not, until now, addressed the “cumulative effect.”