AMARILLO, TX - A group of white farmers in Texas, represented by the nonprofit legal firm called the Southeastern Legal Foundation, is taking legal action against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
They are seeking a federal injunction to block the USDA from allocating disaster and pandemic farm aid based on race, gender, or other “socially disadvantaged” traits. The farmers argue that the agency's current administration of eight emergency funding programs is unconstitutionally discriminatory.
“When natural disasters strike, they don’t discriminate based on race and sex. Neither should the Department of Agriculture,” the group of farmers wrote in a court filing made public Monday.
The plaintiffs are requesting an emergency injunction from the U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, to halt any further awards made on the basis of race, gender, or other liberal standards. They believe they have strong grounds for the injunction, asserting that the USDA's programs violate the Constitution's Fifth Amendment, the Administrative Procedures Act, and lack statutory authority.
The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration, through an executive order signed by Joe Biden, has diverted roughly $25 billion in disaster and pandemic aid approved by Congress for farmers.
This diversion is claimed to be based on race, gender, or other “socially disadvantaged” traits, which the farmers argue is unconstitutional.
“The Constitution promises equal treatment to all Americans regardless of their race or sex," the court filing reads. "It also promises the separation of powers. USDA broke both promises through the disaster and pandemic relief programs challenged here."
The farmers further contend that the USDA categorizes farmers who are black/African-American, American Indian, Alaskan native, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or women as "socially disadvantaged." They allege that these farmers receive more financial assistance for the same losses compared to those deemed non-underserved.
The request for an injunction draws parallels with the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last year, which banned racial preferences in college admissions.
The filing even quotes the high court’s declaration that “eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs told Just the News that their clients, a group of Texas farmers including Rusty Strickland, Alan and Amy West, and Bryan Baker, believe they have a strong case to win the injunction while litigating the larger case.
“Disasters don’t discriminate and neither should USDA. In fact, the Constitution prohibits it,” the lawyers released in a statement. “That is why our brave clients – a group of Texas farmers that includes three white men who received significantly less money in disaster relief funds from USDA than if they had been of a different race or sex – filed this case and are asking the court to stop USDA’s blatant discrimination.”
The lawsuit names the USDA and Biden's Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, as defendants.
It seeks to challenge the USDA's current method of distributing disaster and pandemic aid, advocating for a system that does not consider race, gender, or other “socially disadvantaged” traits.
From the court filing, “USDA does this by first defining farmers who are black/African-American, American Indian, Alaskan native, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or a woman as ‘socially disadvantaged. Then, it provides farmers who qualify as socially disadvantaged more money for the same loss than those it deems non-underserved, along with other preferential treatment”
At the time of this writing, the USDA's web page providing information about the disaster and pandemic assistance program in question was unavailable.
They are seeking a federal injunction to block the USDA from allocating disaster and pandemic farm aid based on race, gender, or other “socially disadvantaged” traits. The farmers argue that the agency's current administration of eight emergency funding programs is unconstitutionally discriminatory.
“When natural disasters strike, they don’t discriminate based on race and sex. Neither should the Department of Agriculture,” the group of farmers wrote in a court filing made public Monday.
The plaintiffs are requesting an emergency injunction from the U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, to halt any further awards made on the basis of race, gender, or other liberal standards. They believe they have strong grounds for the injunction, asserting that the USDA's programs violate the Constitution's Fifth Amendment, the Administrative Procedures Act, and lack statutory authority.
The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration, through an executive order signed by Joe Biden, has diverted roughly $25 billion in disaster and pandemic aid approved by Congress for farmers.
This diversion is claimed to be based on race, gender, or other “socially disadvantaged” traits, which the farmers argue is unconstitutional.
“The Constitution promises equal treatment to all Americans regardless of their race or sex," the court filing reads. "It also promises the separation of powers. USDA broke both promises through the disaster and pandemic relief programs challenged here."
The farmers further contend that the USDA categorizes farmers who are black/African-American, American Indian, Alaskan native, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or women as "socially disadvantaged." They allege that these farmers receive more financial assistance for the same losses compared to those deemed non-underserved.
The request for an injunction draws parallels with the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last year, which banned racial preferences in college admissions.
The filing even quotes the high court’s declaration that “eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs told Just the News that their clients, a group of Texas farmers including Rusty Strickland, Alan and Amy West, and Bryan Baker, believe they have a strong case to win the injunction while litigating the larger case.
“Disasters don’t discriminate and neither should USDA. In fact, the Constitution prohibits it,” the lawyers released in a statement. “That is why our brave clients – a group of Texas farmers that includes three white men who received significantly less money in disaster relief funds from USDA than if they had been of a different race or sex – filed this case and are asking the court to stop USDA’s blatant discrimination.”
The lawsuit names the USDA and Biden's Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, as defendants.
It seeks to challenge the USDA's current method of distributing disaster and pandemic aid, advocating for a system that does not consider race, gender, or other “socially disadvantaged” traits.
From the court filing, “USDA does this by first defining farmers who are black/African-American, American Indian, Alaskan native, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or a woman as ‘socially disadvantaged. Then, it provides farmers who qualify as socially disadvantaged more money for the same loss than those it deems non-underserved, along with other preferential treatment”
At the time of this writing, the USDA's web page providing information about the disaster and pandemic assistance program in question was unavailable.
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Comments
2024-04-11T18:05-0400 | Comment by: Judith
This is so nasty , Keep fighting farmers you will and should win!
2024-04-12T07:46-0400 | Comment by: Michael
The Biden administration is worse than the Obama administration on inacting policy that reenforces and often intentionally increases racial discrimination across our country. Often used to disguise their corruption.