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Secretary Tom Vilsack On USDA Debt Forgiveness For Black Farmers

A farmer drives a tractor down a road near Ottawa, Illinois.
A farmer drives a tractor down a road near Ottawa, Illinois.

Starting June 1, the Department of Agriculture will pay outthousands of dollars in loan forgiveness to Black and minority farmers in a bid to correct for more than a century of discrimination.  

More than $4 billion dollars from the American Rescue Plan have been allocated for the program.

But it’s already getting pushback from banks, Republican lawmakers, and white farmers. A lawsuit calling the program “unconstitutional” is currently making its way through the courts.

We talk to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack about the historic – if controversial – program.  

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5

Paige Osburn

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