{"id":2434430,"date":"2025-05-14T07:44:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T11:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-call-on-usda-to-end-biden-discrimination-policies\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T07:48:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T11:48:00","slug":"lawmakers-call-on-usda-to-end-biden-discrimination-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-call-on-usda-to-end-biden-discrimination-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers Call On USDA To End Biden Discrimination Policies"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawmakers-call-on-usda-to-end-biden-discrimination-policies%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2434430&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Wisconsin&#8217;s Republican House delegation is advocating for the elimination of Biden-era USDA programs that they claim discriminate against white male farmers. Citing civil rights issues, the lawmakers argue that these programs provide better loan terms to &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-official-sues-biden-administration-for-discriminating-against-white-farmers\/\" title=\"Texas Official Sues ... For Discriminating Against ... ...s\u00a0\">socially disadvantaged farmers<\/a> and ranchers,&#8221; wich has sparked ongoing legal battles. They specifically reference the case of Adam faust, a disabled Wisconsin dairy farmer who has faced discrimination due to being white and male, and highlight that these issues persist despite previous rulings that declared such race-based programs unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the representatives call on the USDA to investigate and terminate these discriminatory policies, echoing actions taken during the Trump management to remove such initiatives. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-residents-angry-state-cut-off-unemployment-sue-ron-desantis-to-keep-federal-checks-coming\/\" title=\"Florida Residents, Angry State Cut Off Unemployment, Sue Ron DeSantis To Keep Federal Checks Coming\">recent legal action<\/a> against the USDA points out that Faust and other white farmers continue to be ineligible for certain programs, further claiming that Faust faces additional fees that non-white farmers do not.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-mcconnell-urges-senate-to-pass-mccarthys-debt-deal\/\" title=\"McConnell urges Senate to approve McCarthy&#039;s debt deal.\">lawmakers express concern<\/a> over ongoing inequities within USDA&#8217;s programs and demand reform to ensure fairness. They argue that these remaining programs contradict president Trump&#8217;s agenda of non-discrimination. The USDA under Rollins has made commitments to reverse what they describe as &#8220;woke&#8221; policies, but the Wisconsin delegation pushes for a thorough review and immediate reforms to address these disparities, warning of potential legal action if changes are not made.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Wisconsin&rsquo;s Republican House delegation is calling for an end to Biden-era programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that discriminate against white male farmers. The holdover initiatives that, among other things, offer better loan terms to so-called &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/lrftool.sc.egov.usda.gov\/SDFP_Definition.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers&rdquo;<\/a> are at the core of civil rights legal battles four-plus years in the making.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In a letter exclusively provided to The Federalist, the lawmakers urge Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to investigate the case of <a href=\"https:\/\/will-law.org\/faust-v-vilsack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Adam Faust<\/a>. The disabled Wisconsin dairy farmer &ldquo;has been subjected to protected class-based discrimination by USDA &hellip; ineligible for certain USDA programs&rdquo; because he is white and a man, the letter asserts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Trump has taken bold and decisive action to eliminate racially discriminatory policies within the executive branch,&rdquo; the congressmen &mdash; Reps. Tony Wied, Derrick Van Orden, Tom Tiffany, Bryan Steil, Glenn Grothman, and Scott Fitzgerald &mdash; remind the Ag secretary. &ldquo;Agencies, including USDA, have been ordered to terminate all race-based programs and regulations. USDA should comply with President Trump&rsquo;s order immediately. Each day without reform further disadvantages farmers, like Mr. Faust, based on their immutable characteristics.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>&ldquo;Based Solely on the Race&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/will-law.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wisconsin Institute for Law &amp; Liberty<\/a> has represented Faust and other farmers across the country in <a href=\"https:\/\/fedsoc.org\/events\/faust-v-vilsack-race-discrimination-in-the-american-rescue-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">civil rights litigation<\/a> against the DEI-centric Biden administration. As the letter notes, Faust was the first U.S. farmer to successfully challenge the Biden administration&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/elenabotella\/2021\/06\/04\/black-and-minority-farmers-will-receive-4-billion-in-debt-relief-for-some-its-a-lifeline-for-others-too-little-too-late\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$4 billion Farmer Loan Forgiveness Program<\/a>. In <a href=\"https:\/\/will-law.org\/faust-v-vilsack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Faust v. Vilsack<\/em><\/a>, a Wisconsin federal court held that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >granting special loan forgiveness exclusively<\/a> to &ldquo;socially disadvantaged farmers&rdquo; violated the Constitution and anti-discrimination laws. The court issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/will-law.org\/faust-v-vilsack\/#:~:text=Vilsack,-Case%20Name:%20Faust&amp;text=Current%20Status:%20U.S.%20District%20Judge,the%20basis%20of%20racial%20categories.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">temporary restraining order<\/a>. Several <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalaglawcenter.org\/judges-order-halts-minority-debt-relief-payments\/#:~:text=Accordingly,%20the%20plaintiff%20asked%20the,debt%20relief%20payments%20to%20SDFRs.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">other courts<\/a> followed suit. The Biden administration suspended the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ocasio-cortez-fires-back-after-biden-rejects-proposal-to-cancel-50k-in-student-loan-debt\/\" title=\"Ocasio...Cortez Fires Back After Biden Rejects Proposal To Cancel K In Student Loan Debt\">loan forgiveness program<\/a> and Congress got rid of it, although it created a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/black-minority-farmers-discrimination-usda-payments-4471b3f3cdccd9050408a43208114638\">new program<\/a> to pay out $2.2 billion to farmers USDA is accused of discriminating against.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Part of the leviathan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eda.gov\/funding\/programs\/american-rescue-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Rescue Plan,<\/a> the original loan forgiveness program offered up to 120 percent &ldquo;of the total amount eligible farmers own on Farm Service Agency (FSA) Direct and Guaranteed Farm Loans and Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL),&rdquo; NPR <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/06\/11\/1005560226\/u-s-farmers-of-color-were-about-to-get-loan-forgiveness-now-the-program-is-on-ho\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> in June 2021, after the judge issued the restraining order. But white farmers need not apply. Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Native Alaskan or Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander farmers were considered &ldquo;disadvantaged&rdquo; and eligible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Faust was among a dozen white farmers represented by the Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Law &amp; Liberty in the discrimination case.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The government has created a program that distributes government benefits based solely on the race of the farmer, and Supreme Court precedent is very clear the government can&rsquo;t do that without a very good reason,&rdquo; Luke Berg, deputy counsel with the conservative public interest law firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/06\/11\/1005560226\/u-s-farmers-of-color-were-about-to-get-loan-forgiveness-now-the-program-is-on-ho\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> NPR following the judge&rsquo;s ruling. &ldquo;The government hasn&rsquo;t identified such a reason. It&rsquo;s only pointed to societal discrimination, systemic discrimination, but the courts are clear that that&rsquo;s not enough.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Lasting Discriminatory Policies&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>While Faust and his fellow plaintiffs won that battle, the war against discriminatory programs at the USDA and elsewhere rages on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin&rsquo;s GOP House members assert Faust, a constituent of Wied in the state&rsquo;s 8th Congressional District, remains ineligible for certain USDA programs &ldquo;based on his race and sex.&rdquo; WILL notes Faust isn&rsquo;t eligible for loan guarantees and grants &ldquo;on equal terms with non-white farmers.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Mr. Faust is also charged a fee for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsa.usda.gov\/resources\/programs\/dairy-margin-coverage-program-dmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dairy Margin Coverage Program<\/a>, while non-white farmers are not. He is one of the 2 million white male American farmers &mdash; representing more than 60% of all American farmers &mdash; who are still subject to lasting discriminatory policies instituted by the Biden administration,&rdquo; the lawmakers state in their letter to Rollins.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, WILL sent Rollins and Attorney General Pam Bondi a <a href=\"https:\/\/will-law.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Faust-Letter-FINAL-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">demand letter<\/a> giving the administration 60 days to reform the discriminatory programs or face a federal lawsuit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Prompt Reform&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>On May 1, USDA issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/about-usda\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/05\/01\/first-100-days-secretary-rollins-puts-farmers-first-reverses-woke-priorities-biden-administration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> on the first 100 days of the Trump administration, noting the Ag secretary has &ldquo;worked to put Farmers First and reverse the woke Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda of the Biden Administration.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is absurd that while the Biden Administration was driving up inflation, American taxpayers were forced to fund billions in woke DEI initiatives,&rdquo; Rollins <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/about-usda\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/05\/01\/first-100-days-secretary-rollins-puts-farmers-first-reverses-woke-priorities-biden-administration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;American farmers and ranchers don&rsquo;t need DEI, they need reduced regulations and an Administration that is actively putting them first.&rdquo; She noted that USDA had canceled more than 3,600 contracts and grants saving more than $5.5 billion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>USDA notes that Rollins on Day 1 issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/directives\/sm-1078-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memorandum<\/a> rescinding all DEI programs and celebrations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Instead, USDA is reprioritizing unity, equality, meritocracy, and color-blind policies,&rdquo; the press release declared.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Biden-era equity programs linger on, the Wisconsin lawmakers say. That&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;re asking Rollins to investigate and for USDA to remove all race- and sex-based preferences putting Faust at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Furthermore, we call for a thorough review and prompt reform of all other potentially discriminatory programs administered by USDA under the designation of supporting &lsquo;socially disadvantaged farmers,&rsquo;&rdquo; the letter urges. The lawmakers note that courts have held that the term socially disadvantaged individuals &ldquo;constitutes unconstitutional race discrimination.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It should have no role in your agency and clearly conflicts with President Trump&rsquo;s agenda,&rdquo; the lawmakers write, adding that they would like USDA to quickly handle the matter and avoid &ldquo;extended litigation.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wisconsin GOP seeks to end USDA programs favoring non-white farmers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2434431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-14-at-2.45.07-AM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3620,55199,3673,19013],"class_list":["post-2434430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-biden","tag-discriminationpolicies","tag-lawmakers","tag-usda"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-14-at-2.45.07-AM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2434430"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2434434,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434430\/revisions\/2434434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2434431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2434430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2434430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2434430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}