Farmers across the country are crying foul over President Biden's farm loan forgiveness program, which they say is discriminatory. Multiple legal battles are still in court over the Department of Agriculture's program, which is aimed at helping American farmers access 3.8 billion dollars in aid.
“But the catch was you had to be a minority farmer. White farmers were precluded from it,” Braden Boucek, Litigation Director for Southeastern Legal Foundation, said. “So, we represent a fourth generation Tennessee soybean farmer who could not get his loan forgiven, but his neighbors who are of a different race could.”
He adds there's a temporary injunction against the government right now, so most of the money has not been allotted.
“The Department of Agriculture nevertheless using the same racial categorization for other programs. So, for instance, there’s a grant program out right now for climate smart agriculture, but it’s only available to non-white farmers,” Boucek explained.
He contends the administration's racial-preference policies are holding up aid for everyone who needs it.