Federal Court Blocks USDA From Discriminating In Disaster Relief Based On Race Or Gender
A federal court in Texas has issued an injunction on Friday, ordering the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stop discriminating against farmers based on race or sex when distributing disaster relief funds. The ruling comes as a result of a case brought by the Mountain States Legal Foundation and the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), who claimed that the USDA’s practices violated the fifth amendment.
The Mountain States Legal Foundation celebrated the decision on X, stating, “We just received a NATIONWIDE INJUNCTION in the Strickland v. Vilsack case, which halts the racially discriminatory farmer relief payments being made by the USDA. The payments will no longer go out while the case proceeds! A proud moment for us & our partners.”
In April, a group of white farmers sought an emergency injunction to prevent the USDA from using race, gender, or other “socially disadvantaged” traits to determine eligibility and amounts for disaster and pandemic farm aid. The group argued that natural disasters do not discriminate, and neither should the USDA.
According to the farmers, the Biden administration allocated approximately $25 billion in disaster and pandemic aid across eight programs, devising a system that made awards based on factors such as race and gender, which they claimed violated the fifth amendment.
The Southeastern Legal Foundation praised the court’s decision, telling Just the News, “The court’s nationwide injunction ordering the USDA to stop discriminating against farmers in the administration of disaster relief programs because of their race or sex represents a win for freedom and equality.”
The USDA’s program appears to be rooted in an executive order from President Joe Biden, which the farmers allege discriminates against those not considered “socially disadvantaged” or “underserved.”
