Washington DC (CNN)Quietly incorporated into newly signed Inflation Reduction Act2 One clause aims to provide financial relief to farmers of color who claim they have been discriminated against for years.
I think it's bad policy for us," John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer and founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, told CNN. “We were already doing 120% debt forgiveness for farmers, but they got rid of it. Now they have a very broad term that includes white farmers and other forms of discrimination, including age. Instead of getting what we already had, we are competing. Race can discriminate, but race cannot fix it
This provision allows any farmer, regardless of race, to receive assistance of up to $500,000 "if deemed appropriate based on the results of the discrimination." I accept to receive The American Relief Plan also allocated debt relief and repayment of tax debts and other fees related to debt service of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers (groups including black and other minority farmers). Obsolete another section of . of several lawsuits from some white farmers.
When CNN asked about the discrepancy, his USDA official at the time said the statistics "could reflect which farmers received effective assistance through the disaster." suggested. It's not about changing the loan application or approval process, it's about helping trade and the pandemic and what farmers didn't do.
The USDA has not announced when the new program will begin, but another her USDA official said it will move quickly to distribute funds to meet farmers' needs. increase. Asked how "discrimination" would be defined under the new law, an official said the term meant "a lot of things the USDA has to consider when deciding how to implement this provision."
In a statement to CNN, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, "Destitute farmers continue to farm and people who have been discriminated against." and to further strengthen our commitment to use all tools". You can help farmers stay on their land.
The lukewarm response from some farmers
Lloyd Wright, a soybean farmer and former director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Civil Rights Service, said: He told CNN he believes the new program will work. “Many good things for black farmers,” including providing access to financial assistance and removing the need for additional litigation on lawsuits from white farmers.CEO of the Native American Farm Fund and USDA Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, a member of the equity committee at I called. A step in the right direction.
"Although the blanket debt relief for minorities has been removed, the amount of funds directed to disadvantaged groups and producers who have experienced discrimination in the past remains about the same. There are more in other sections," she said in a statement. He added that the new law was "more creative in its proposal to serve all producers." Not only does it allow for a holistic approach, but it also allows protection to prevent another era of farm financial crisis: in short, something is better than nothing, and that something is better than nothing. Billions of B are important when starting," she added.
But Boyd Jr. told her CNN that she was disappointed that Democratic leaders and President Joe Biden had "backed off" from white farmers' grievances. He is also concerned that there is not enough funding to cover all discrimination claims, and that terms such as "disadvantaged farmers" and "farmers of color" are not included in the law.
Even if the USDA expeditiously handles allegations of discrimination, it will help agricultural loan borrowers facing financial risk. A new provision that provides funding for farming comes a little too late for farmers like Deydra Steans. Steans, a Texas rancher trying to save her family's farming business, previously told CNN of the financial hardships her family faces, not only because of the increasing debt on the farm, but because the Internal Revenue Service has cut back on cattle. Her family filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in April to prevent a foreclosure and give the IRS more than $300,000 from the sale of her cattle ranch. She said she was able to pay.
"Bankruptcy was a protection to prevent loss of land. I had to file for bankruptcy and would like to see some provision for black farmers who have sharks in their collections." '," she added, Steans told CNN. She will file a discrimination complaint under the new program.
She said the new provision was a "step in the right direction," but wondered how the program would be implemented and how third-party USDA farm loans would be under the new law.
Asked whether bankruptcies would be considered under the new rules, a USDA official told CNN that the agency would separate farmers from businesses and land. He said he would like to keep it, adding: "It seems reasonable that producers are facing bankruptcy or have rebuilt." I am considering bankruptcy.
Farmers consider new terms
Current lawsuits challenging the Initial Relief Program under the American Relief Plan are being reviewed in light of the updated program. Wen Hua, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, who is representing a group of white farmers in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told CNN Tuesday that the old program has been discontinued. "We are delighted," he said, adding that "we are discussing next steps." our current case.
Dorian Spence, a lawyer representing a Southern cooperative group that has defended black farmers, said he and his clients would decide what the new program would look like. He said he would look ahead. But in his view, under the Inflation Reduction Act, black farmers now have the burden of coming forward and proving discrimination. Asking black farmers to blindly trust the same agencies that are largely responsible for most is a tough call for Congress," he said. "Given this new structure that has been deployed, I am waiting for the USDA to demonstrate its willingness to change its relationship with black farmers and other farmers of color."