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Federal judge halts Biden Administration policy that provided relief funds to only minority farmers

Paul Murdoch

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2017, file photo, a farmer harvests crops near Sinsinawa Mound in Wisconsin. A federal judge has halted a loan forgiveness program for farmers of color in response to a lawsuit alleging the program discriminates against white farmers. U.S. District Judge William Griesbach in Milwaukee issued a temporary restraining order Thursday, June 10, 2021, suspending the program for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. (Eileen Meslar/Telegraph Herald via AP, File)

A federal judge in Wisconsin has halted the Biden administration’s debt relief program for minority farmers, issuing a restraining order that will freeze the $4 billion initiative while a lawsuit filed by a group of white farmers claiming discrimination proceeds.

In late April, Republican Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller sued the Biden administration, saying the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violated the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it excluded farmers from the loan forgiveness program based on race. “The lawsuit says the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed by Congress last month includes provisions for the forgiveness of loans to ‘socially disadvantaged’ farmers or ranchers of up to 120% of the value of the loan,” Courthouse News Service reported at the time.

“It claims other federal laws limit help for white farmers and ranchers, including the Agriculture Department being required to give preference to grant applications filed by ‘socially disadvantaged’ farmers or ranchers.” The Department of Agriculture had started the process of forgiving the loans this month.

But the judge, William C. Griesbach, said in the order that he was freezing the program because the farmers who filed the lawsuit were likely to succeed in making the case that the government’s “use of race-based criteria in the administration of the program violates their right to equal protection under the law.”

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH
MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: WBTW

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.
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