A dairy farmer from Wisconsin has accused the Trump administration of unfairly withholding financial aid from white farmers while upholding programs that benefit minority farmers.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, known for its conservative stance, filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Adam Faust, a white dairy farmer, against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Adam Faust was part of a group of farmers who previously sued the Biden administration in 2021, alleging racial discrimination in the USDA’s Farmer Loan Forgiveness Program.
In this photo released by The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Faust’s attorneys, Wisconsin dairy farmer Adam Faust poses inside his dairy barn in Chilton, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty via AP
The new lawsuit alleges the government has continued to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. The Wisconsin Institute wrote to the USDA in April warning of legal action, and six Republican Wisconsin congressmen called on the USDA to investigate and end the programs.
“The USDA should honor the President’s promise to the American people to end racial discrimination in the federal government,” Faust said in a written statement. “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 administration spokesperson Anna Kelly did not immediately respond to an email Monday seeking comment.
The lawsuit contends that Faust is one of 2 million white male American farmers who are subject to discriminatory race-based policies at the USDA.
The lawsuit names three USDA programs and policies it says put white men at a disadvantage and violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal treatment by discriminating based on race and sex.
Faust participates in one program designed to offset the gap between milk prices and the cost of feed, but the lawsuit alleges he is charged a $100 administrative fee that minority and female farmers do not have to pay.
Faust also participates in a USDA program that guarantees 90% of the value of loans to white farmers, but 95% to women and racial minorities. That puts Faust at a disadvantage, the lawsuit alleges.
Faust has also begun work on a new manure storage system that could qualify for reimbursement under a USDA environmental conservation program, but 75% of his costs are eligible while 90% of the costs of minority farmers qualify, the lawsuit contends.
A federal court judge ruled in a similar 2021 case that granting loan forgiveness only to “socially disadvantaged farmers” amounts to unconstitutional race discrimination. The Biden administration suspended the program and Congress repealed it in 2022.
The Wisconsin Institute has filed dozens of such lawsuits in 25 states attacking DEI programs in government. In its April letter to the USDA, the law firm that has a long history of representing Republicans said it didn’t want to sue “but there is no excuse for this continued discrimination.”
Trump has been aggressive in trying to end the government’s DEI efforts to fulfill a campaign promise and bring about a profound cultural shift across the U.S. from promoting diversity to an exclusive focus on merit.
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