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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Does a new federal program offering loan relief to farmers of color face legal challenges?

Thursday, May 27, 2021

By Gus Fisher

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YES

White farmers and conservative groups are suing to include white farmers in a $4 billion farm loan relief program enacted in March. The relief is limited to “socially disadvantaged” farmers who are Black or members of other ethnic minority groups, in what Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack has called a response to “decades of systemic discrimination” by government programs.

Most of the $23 billion in pandemic relief to producers during 2020 went to white producers, according to Successful Farming.

One group suing to block the move was founded by former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and other former Trump officials. Their suit, filed in a Texas district court, charges the exclusion of whites from the program is “patently unconstitutional.” Another group of white farmers has sued in Wisconsin.

REVISED on June 2, 2021, to restate aims of lawsuits.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

US Department of Agriculture American Rescue Plan debt payments

Successful Farming USDA loan forgiveness program has become a lightning rod in rural America

America First Legal Lawsuit charging unconstitutional exclusion of white farmers from loan program

America First Legal About

AP News White farmers sue seeking government loan forgiveness

NPR Georgia Congressman explains how the relief bill will aid farmers of color

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.