Trump Administration Sued For 'Discriminating Against White Farmers'
By Dan Gooding and Hannah Parry
Politics Reporter
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AWisconsin dairy farmer is suing the Trump administration over allegations it is discriminating against white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities.
On Monday, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of white dairy farmer Adam Faust.
Despite President Donald Trump's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the government, the federal lawsuit states that it has continued Biden-era DEI programs that it says discriminate against white farmers.
Newsweek reached out to USDA for comment via email Monday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Trump returned to the White House with a promise to end DEI programs across the federal government, including the military. Some local authorities have been investigated for continuing their own policies, leading to multiple court cases.
The changes have seen the Department of Defense roll back programs for transexual personnel, the Department of Education cut off funding to schools continuing DEI policies, and removing the word "gender" from government immigration forms in favor of "sex".
Wisconsin dairy farm
Cows are seen at the Morning Star Dairy Farm in Onalaska, Wisconsin, on October 4, 2020. Image for illustration purposes only. KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
WILL said in its announcement Monday that the USDA was denying funding to farms based on race and sex, and that its lawsuit followed a warning to the Trump administration in April over its continuance of Biden-era policies.
While the organization, which fights for constitutional rights, said the current administration had taken "many commendable steps" to reverse DEI policies across federal agencies, they still persisted.
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Over a dozen programs remained in effect at USDA, WILL said in its lawsuit. These policies and programs adversely affect Faust and other farmers like him.
WILL pointed to three programs specifically, including the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, which offers financial assistance for farmers when milk prices drop. Faust has to pay a $100 administrative fee, the suit said, while "minority and female farmers are exempt".
The suit also said that a loan program offered greater chances of guarantee to those same two groups compared to him, while an incentive program to introduce more environmentally friendly methods reimbursed minority and female farmers at a greater rate.
Faust and WILL argue that these programs have continued under Trump despite the efforts to roll back programs that look to help or benefit minorities in different industries and workplaces.
The farmer previously sued the Biden administration in 2021 over a loan forgiveness program which favored "socially disadvantaged farmers". The judge ruled in his favor, and Congress later repealed the program.
The USDA said in May that it had "worked to put farmers first" by reversing "woke" DEI policies from former President Joe Biden. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the move would save the department $5.5 billion.
At the time, USDA said it was introducing policies which prioritized "unity, equality, meritocracy", and were "color-blind", but WILL alleges there has been no change to the policies it is suing over.
What People Are Saying
WILL Deputy Legal Counsel Dan Lennington, in a press release: "We warned USDA and the Trump Administration: the Biden-era discriminatory programs must go. We've been patient, but equality cannot wait. While President Trump has been perfectly clear that racial discrimination has no place in his Administration, USDA remains a notable hold out."
Adam Faust, in a press release: "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."
What's Next
The case was filed in the U.S. District Court in Eastern Wisconsin, with WILL asking for a preliminary and permanent injunction preventing Rollins and USDA from continuing with the three programs
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