USDA will 'forcefully defend' debt relief for farmers of color after judge's order
Source: Politico
The Agriculture Department is defending its historic move to issue some $4 billion debt relief payments to thousands of farmers of color after a federal judge in Wisconsin temporarily halted the payments Thursday.
The payments were mandated as part of a sweeping Covid aid bill that Congress passed in March and are aimed at chipping away at more than a century of unequal and discriminatory treatment under USDA programs.
Some white farmers, however, have sued the department, arguing that issuing federal aid based on race is unconstitutional.
A temporary restraining order halting those payments was issued by Judge William Griesbach of Wisconsin's Eastern District in response to a lawsuit filed in April on behalf of farmers by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which bills itself as a conservative group focused on individual rights.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/usda-will-forcefully-defend-debt-relief-for-farmers-of-color-after-judge-s-order/ar-AAL1TCh?li=BBnbfcQ&ocid=hplocalnews
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I hope you're kidding, because defying a restraining order is against the law.
The judge has not made a final ruling. He has merely issued a temporary restraining order to halt the payments pending the outcome of the lawsuit. It sucks that the payments will be delayed, but I don't think he really had a choice.
Be outraged at those bringing the lawsuit. The judge is just doing his job.
