(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A group of Midwestern farmers sued the federal government alleging they’re denied access to a government COVID loan forgiveness plan because they’re white.
Farmers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Ohio who filed the suit on Thursday say that the $4 billion program only helps “socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who are Black, American Indian, Hispanic, Alaskan native, Asian American or Pacific Islander,” according to the Associated Press.
“Were plaintiffs eligible for the loan forgiveness benefit, they would have the opportunity to make additional investments in their property, expand their farms, purchase equipment and supplies, and otherwise support their families and local communities,” the lawsuit said. “Because plaintiffs are ineligible to even apply for the program solely due to their race, they have been denied the equal protection of the law and therefore suffered harm.”
White farmers, including from Ohio, sue seeking government loan forgiveness
By Todd Richmond - Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) A group of Midwestern farmers sued the federal government Thursday alleging they can’t participate in a COVID-19 loan forgiveness program because they’re white.
The group of plaintiffs includes farmers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Ohio. According to the lawsuit, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 stimulus plan provides $4 billion to forgive loans for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who are Black, American Indian, Hispanic, Alaskan native, Asian American or Pacific Islander.
White farmers aren’t eligible, amounting to a violation of the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights, the lawsuit contends.
White farmers sue, ask government to remove racial classifications to qualify for forgiveness loans
Updated Apr 29, 2021;
Posted Apr 29, 2021
FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2017, file photo, a farmer harvests crops near Sinsinawa Mound in Wisconsin. A group of Midwestern farmers sued the federal government Thursday, April 29, 2021, alleging they can t participate in a COVID-19 loan forgiveness program because they re white. (Eileen Meslar/Telegraph Herald via AP, File)AP
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MADISON, Wis. A group of Midwestern farmers sued the federal government Thursday alleging they can’t participate in a COVID-19 loan forgiveness program because they’re white.
The group of plaintiffs includes farmers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Ohio. According to the lawsuit, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 stimulus plan provides $4 billion to forgive loans for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who are Black, American Indian, Hispanic, Alaskan native, Asian America
White Ohio farmers sue seeking government loan forgiveness cincinnati.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cincinnati.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.