Best views, weather, etc. How to test them 👓 SC, Ala. sites look back Betty Ford honored
Coronavirus COVID-19

How $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill aims to help Black and socially disadvantaged farmers

WASHINGTON – Tucked into the massive $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday is a provision aimed at benefiting farmers of color who are socially disadvantaged, in a move to cover outstanding debt.

The provision, which was drawn from the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act, was inserted into the relief package and includes $5 billion that will go to socially disadvantaged farmers of color. These include Black, Hispanic, Native American or Asian American farmers. Four billion dollars would go toward covering up to 120% of outstanding debt, and $1 billion is designated for outreach, training, education, technical assistance and grants.

It’s part of the $10.4 billion provided in the package for agricultural and food supply sectors. 

Democrats hailed the inclusion of relief for farmers of color as vital to addressing historic inequalities, particularly for Black farmers, whose numbers have declined and who have faced discrimination.

Money for colleges, libraries and clubs:10 things you might not know are in Biden's COVID-19 relief package

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

The loan provision is intended to “address the historical discrimination against socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and address issues” related to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the text of the bill.

Republican criticism of measure

The legislation has met mixed reaction: Some see it as a long-needed attempt to repair historic injustices; others, including prominent Republican lawmakers, accused Democrats of adding it to the relief package as part of a “wish list” of items that don't relate to the pandemic.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., slammed "out-of-control liberals" for putting it in the package, calling the provision "reparations" – remedies that may include compensation to address the U.S. government’s role in perpetuating the harms of slavery against Black Americans.

"In this bill, if you’re a farmer, your loan will be forgiven up to 120% of your loan ... if you’re socially disadvantaged, if you’re African American, some other minority, but if you’re a white person, if you’re a white woman, no forgiveness. That’s reparations. What does that have to do with COVID?" Graham said in an interview with Fox News

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said it was “unconstitutional” and argued that Congress should not pass aid that would go toward only those of the “right race.” 

"No proof of income or loss incurred due to COVID is needed to qualify. Just skin color or when you came to the country," Toomey said in a tweet decrying the provision. "A white farmer, struggling to get by in Appalachia or anywhere else in the nation, is disqualified because of his skin color. Is this what the Democrats have in mind for 'racial equity'?"

Toomey's office noted a report in 2005 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found small farmers were on the decline across all rural communities.  

Republican senators attempted to remove the provision from the relief package with an amendment proposed by Toomey.

The farming legislation was led by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., along with Sen. Cory  Booker, D-N.J.; Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.; and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Raphael Warnock is Georgia’s first Black U.S. senator.

“For too long, farmers of color have been left to fend for themselves, not getting the support that they deserve from the USDA, making it even more difficult for them to recover from this pandemic,” Warnock said in a Senate floor speech responding to Toomey. “We have an opportunity here to lift all of our rural communities by aiming the aid where it is needed, given our historic past, which is very much present.”

Stabenow praised Warnock's role in crafting the provision, telling Rolling Stone magazine it is "an important piece of reparations." Though Graham argued reparations were not suited to a COVID-19 relief bill, Stabenow said it was important to address the "longstanding areas of discrimination and racial disparity on land ownership and farmers, particularly in the South." 

'Historically left out of federal aid'

Black farmers concentrated in the South in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi have been historically discriminated against, losing about 12 million acres of farmland since the 1950s.

A study done by the Government Accountability Office in 2019 found that, according to USDA data, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers get a disproportionately small amount of farm loans compared with farmers and ranchers of other groups.

In 2010, Congress approved a settlement of $1.2 billion in what was known as the “Pigford case, after thousands of Black farmers had received payments as part of a class-action settlement in 1999 to address claims that the USDA denied loans and other assistance because of race. The USDA has faced accusations of discrimination for decades.

Proponents of the farming provision said the infusion for Black farmers would be the most significant since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to The Washington Post

John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, pushed lawmakers for a settlement for Black farmers in 2010. He says a measure included in President Biden's  coronavirus relief plan would provide financial help for "farmers who historically have been left out of federal aid.”

“The Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act would provide financial assistance to help those farmers who historically have been left out of federal aid,” said a statement by John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association.

'Righting wrongs':Congress is taking another look at reparations for slavery

Biden pledged that his administration would tackle inequalities in the agriculture industry. His administration backed a proposal to study reparations for slavery that is being contemplated by Congress. 

“For generations, socially disadvantaged farmers have struggled to fully succeed due to systemic discrimination and a cycle of debt. On top of the economic pain caused by the pandemic, farmers from socially disadvantaged communities are dealing with a disproportionate share of COVID-19 infection rates, hospitalizations, death and economic hurt,” Biden’s pick to head the USDA, Tom Vilsack, said in a statement applauding the passage of the relief package.

The sweeping coronavirus aid package also includes $1,400 direct checks to individuals, billions to help schools and colleges reopen and funding for vaccine distribution. 

Contributing: Joey Garrison

Featured Weekly Ad