Wisconsin Dairy Farmer sues US Gov over Covid relief plan that EXCLUDES white farmers

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A dairy farmer in Wisconsin who is physically disabled has sued the Biden administration over a COVID relief program that excludes white farmers, arguing the program is racist.

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Adam Faust, who runs a herd of 140 Holsteins on his family farm in Chilton, joined other plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed last week in Green Bay, alleging the loan forgiveness program illegally discriminates against them.

At issue is a $4 billion program tucked into the Biden administration's COVID-19 stimulus plan that forgives loans for farmers and ranchers who are black, native American, Hispanic, or Asian - but not those who are white.

'It was just out and out racist, and I really don't think that there should be racism allowed in the federal government at any level,' Faust told WLUK-TV.

Faust was born with spina bifida, a rare birth defect, and his leg was amputated after a farm accident later in life resulted in an infection.

Last year his other leg was amputated due to complications from diabetes, and he now uses two prosthetic legs.

On Wednesday night, Faust appeared in an interview on Fox News, and argued that it was unfair to create racial criteria for participation in the relief program.

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The group of plaintiffs joining the lawsuit to challenge the program includes farmers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Ohio.

The suit contends that excluding white farmers from the program amounts to a violation of the plaintiffs' constitutional rights.

'Were plaintiffs eligible for the loan forgiveness benefit, they would have the opportunity to make additional investments in their property, expand their farms, purchase equipment and supplies, and otherwise support their families and local communities,' the lawsuit said.

'Because plaintiffs are ineligible to even apply for the program solely due to their race, they have been denied the equal protection of the law and therefore suffered harm.'

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a statement saying it was reviewing the lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice, but that the USDA plans to continue to offer loan forgiveness to 'socially disadvantaged' farmers.

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The $1.9trillion American Rescue Plan earmarked $4billion in debt relief for 'socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers', focusing on 'a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice.'

The debt relief aims to provide relief to agricultural producers of color who have experienced racial discrimination from federal lenders in the past.

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