Judge Halts Debt Relief Program for Farmers of Color, Says It’s Likely Unconstitutional

Judge Halts Debt Relief Program for Farmers of Color, Says It’s Likely Unconstitutional
A farmer harvests crops near Presho, South Dakota, on Oct. 13, 2014. Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Tom Ozimek
Updated:

A federal judge in Wisconsin on Friday issued a temporary restraining order pausing payments in a federal farmer loan forgiveness program that grants benefits on the basis of race, arguing there’s a “strong likelihood” a court will rule that the program is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge William Griesbach issued the temporary restraining order (pdf) after a group of white farmers filed a lawsuit (pdf) against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), claiming unconstitutional race discrimination in the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) provisions that offer loan forgiveness based on racial categories (pdf).
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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