Farmer sues USDA for continued discrimination against White men
A Wisconsin dairy farmer is suing the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for continued discrimination against White and male farmers despite President Trump’s executive order banning such practices.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) brought the lawsuit on behalf of Adam Faust, who says he receives less benefits than women and minorities. The complaint singles out three USDA programs as being discriminatory against White men: the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program, the Loan Guarantee Program, and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Faust alleges that the DMC program, which provides financial assistance to dairy farmers, requires him to pay an administrative fee that is forgiven for women and minorities. While he is eligible for a 90% loan guarantee from the USDA, female and minority farmers are eligible for 95% guarantees. And where women and minorities can qualify for a 90% cost reimbursement under the EQIP, the most Faust can hope for is 75% reimbursement.
The Daily Caller notes that Faust sued the Biden USDA in 2021 over the Farmer Loan Forgiveness Program, which a court found violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
‘We warned USDA’
WILL notified the Trump USDA back in April that the agency is running over 24 Biden-era race-based programs and gave them 60 days to remedy the violations or face legal action.
“We warned USDA and the Trump Administration: the Biden-era discriminatory programs must go. We’ve been patient, but equality cannot wait,” said WILL Deputy Legal Counsel Dan Lennington in a statement. “While President Trump has been perfectly clear that racial discrimination has no place in his Administration, USDA remains a notable hold out.”
Faust added: “The USDA should honor the President’s promise to the American people to end racial discrimination in the federal government. After being ignored by a federal agency that’s meant to support agriculture, I hope my lawsuit brings answers, accountability, and results from USDA.”
Trump’s executive order
Immediately upon assuming office on January 21st, Trump signed an executive order directing all federal agencies to end their DEI practices.
“Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system,” the EO read. “Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex.”
