The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking steps to address the discrimination applicants have faced when applying for loans through the department's farm lending programs.
According to a USDA press release, the agency is taking action to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners that have faced discrimination when applying for aid through USDA farm lending programs. By taking action, the agency seeks to identify and acknowledge the discrimination suffered by individuals, rebuild trust with communities and create diversity and resiliency in the nation's agriculture.
“These funds are yet another stepping stone in the long march toward justice and an inclusive, equitable USDA. Through this program and a neutral, comprehensive financial assistance process, USDA will acknowledge wrongs of the past and open up avenues that provide farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination by USDA the opportunity to be heard,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, according to the press release.
The USDA has set a goal of distributing $2.2 billion in allocated funds to borrowers by the end of 2023 through qualified nongovernmental entities. This action is authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022, and designed in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and stakeholder input.
“In providing this financial assistance, our goal is to make sure eligible people have adequate, understandable information about what is available to them, how to apply and what to expect from USDA at each step,” Vilsack said. “As we work to make all our programs more equitable, accessible and accountable, we are applying these same principles to make sure all Americans know how to engage with USDA’s services so we can prevent more inequities and build new levels of trust with the People’s Department going forward.”
USDA will work with nongovernmental program administrators and trusted cooperators to coordinate the administration of financial assistance to impacted farmers, ranchers or forest landowners.
