Biden-Harris Administration Distributes Over $2 Billion to Minority Farmers Facing USDA Discrimination

The Biden-Harris administration has come through once again.

According to the Associated Press, more than $2 billion has been doled out by the administration to Black and other minority farmers discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, President Biden announced last week.

North of 23,000 farmers were approved for payments, which ranged from $10,000 to $500,000, according to the USDA. Additionally, another $20,000 who planned to start a farm but didn’t receive a USDA loan got a loan between $3,500 and $6,000.

Most of those payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama.

“(It) is not compensation for anyone’s loss or the pain endured, but it is an acknowledgment by the department,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

There is a long history of the USDA refusing to process loans from Black farmers and approving smaller loans in comparison to white farmers. There is also a disparity when it comes to foreclosing quicker than usual when Black farmers who obtained loans ran into problems.

National Black Farmers Association Founder and President John Boyd Jr. said that while the aid is helpful, it is not enough.

“It’s like putting a bandage on somebody that needs open-heart surgery,” Boyd said. “We want our land, and I want to be very, very clear about that.”

Still, Boyd is still in a fight for a federal lawsuit for 120% debt relief for Black farmers that was approved by Congress back in 2021. According to the New York Times, five billion dollars for the program was included in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package.

However, the money never came. White farmers in many other states filed lawsuits, arguing their exclusion was a violation of constitutional rights, which, in turn, prompted judges to halt the program shortly after its passage.

As opposed to a lengthy court battle that would delay payments to farmers, Congress amended the law, offering financial help to a broader group of farmers. So, a new law allocated $3.1 billion to assist farmers struggling with USDA-backed loans, as well as $2.2 billion to pay farmers who the agency discriminated against.

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