Agriculture your username 6 hours ago Tom Vilsack, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, filed a reply in a Northern District of Texas lawsuit on Tuesday to the preliminary injunction granted in favor of the plaintiffs. Vilsack explained that although the court, and at least two others addressing similar lawsuits, have halted the USDA program, it is continuing to take steps to set up the loan forgiveness program for farmers and ranchers of minority races. The lawsuit was filed by Sid Miller and other white farmers and ranchers in Texas, they alleged that a debt relief program approved by Congress as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, discriminated against them based on race and breached federal laws and the U.S. Constitution. The court granted the injunction and class certification, noting that the requirements for both were met and that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed.