Wisconsin Dairy Farmer Sues Trump Administration Claiming Discrimination Against White Farmers
A Wisconsin dairy farmer alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities.
The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust. Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in the USDA's Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan. 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 percent administrative fee that minority and female farmers do not have to pay. Faust also participates in a USDA program that guarantees ninety percent of the value of loans to white farmers but ninety-five percent 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 seventy-five percent of his costs are eligible while ninety percent 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, which 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 US from promoting diversity to an exclusive focus on merit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez Set to Report to Federal Prison for 11-Year Bribery Sentence
Former US Sen. Bob Menendez is set to report to federal prison on Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year sentence for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt. The New Jersey Democrat has been mocked for the crimes as 'Gold Bar Bob,' according to his own lawyer. Menendez's lawyers revealed in court papers last month that he is expected to be housed at a facility in eastern Pennsylvania that has both a medium-security prison and a minimum-security prison camp. Given the white-collar nature of his crimes, it's likely he'll end up in the camp. The prison–the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill–is about 118 miles (190 kilometers) west of New York City. It's home to about 1,200 inmates, including ex-New York City organized crime boss James Coonan and former gas station owner Gurmeet Singh Dhinsa, whom the New York Post dubbed 'Gas-Station Gotti' for his ruthless, violent ways. Menendez, 71, maintains his innocence. Last week, a federal appeals court rejected his last-ditch effort to remain free on bail while he fights to get his bribery conviction overturned. A three-judge panel on the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals denied his bail motion. Pleading for leniency, Menendez told a judge at his sentencing in January: 'I am far from a perfect man. I have made more than my share of mistakes and bad decisions. I've done far more good than bad.' Menendez has also appeared to be angling for a pardon from President Donald Trump, aligning himself with the Republicans' criticisms of the judicial system, particularly in New York City. 'This process is political, and it's corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system,' Menendez told reporters after his January sentencing. Menendez resigned last year after he was convicted of selling his clout for bribes. FBI agents found $480,000 in cash in his home, some of it stuffed inside boots and jacket pockets, along with gold bars worth an estimated $150,000 and a luxury convertible in the garage. In exchange, prosecutors said, Menendez performed corrupt favors for New Jersey business owners, including protecting them from criminal investigations, helping in business deals with foreign powers and meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials before helping Egypt access $300 million in US military aid. Menendez, who once served as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, resigned his seat a month after his conviction. He had been in the Senate since 2006. Two business owners also were convicted last year along with Menendez. His wife, Nadine Menendez, was convicted in April of teaming up with her husband to accept bribes from the business owners. Her sentencing has been set for Sept. 11. At his sentencing, Menendez's lawyers described how the son of Cuban immigrants emerged from poverty to become the epitome of the American Dream–rising from mayor of Union City, New Jersey, to decades in Congress–before his conviction rendered him a national punch line. 'Despite his decades of service, he is now known more widely as 'Gold Bar Bob,'' defense lawyer Adam Fee told the judge.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump team proposes Iran talks this week on nuclear deal, ceasefire: Reports
The US is discussing with Iran the possibility of a meeting this week between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss a nuclear deal and an end to the war between Israel and Iran, Axios reported on Monday, citing four sources briefed on the issue. Reuters couldn't immediately verify details of the Axios report.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
US forces still in ‘defensive posture' in Middle East: White House
The White House insisted Monday evening that US forces remained in a 'defensive' posture in the Middle East, despite a military buildup over the Israel–Iran war and a shock warning from President Donald Trump to evacuate Tehran. Trump's brief warning on social media, without further details, raised speculation that the United States may be readying to join Israel in attacking Iran. Those suspicions rose further after it was announced that Trump would be leaving a G7 summit in Canada and returning to the White House a day early over the mounting Middle East conflict. But White House and Pentagon officials reiterated that US forces in the region remained in a 'defensive' posture. White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer, replying to a post on social media that claimed the United States was attacking in Iran, said: 'This is not true.' 'American forces are maintaining their defensive posture, and that has not changed,' he said. Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth similarly told Fox News in a televised interview that 'we are postured defensively in the region, to be strong, in pursuit of a peace deal, and we certainly hope that's what happens here.' Earlier in the day, Hegseth had announced that he had 'directed the deployment of additional capabilities' over the weekend to the Middle East. 'Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,' he wrote on X. His post on social media came after the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was tracked leaving Southeast Asia on Monday, and amid reports that dozens of US military aircraft were heading across the Atlantic. A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Hegseth had ordered the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East, saying it was 'to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel.' The movement of one of the world's largest warships came on day four of the escalating air war between Israel and Iran, with no end in sight despite international calls for de-escalation.
