Congresswoman Brown Applauds Payments to Farmers and Ranchers Harmed by Discrimination Under New Inflation Reduction Act Program

Washington, DC– Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that payments have been issued to more than 43,000 farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021, including 118 Ohioans.

The payments were made under the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, established under the Inflation Reduction Act, which Congresswoman Shontel Brown proudly voted for. The application process for these payments launched last year. More information on the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program can be found at 22007apply.gov

“I applaud the work of the USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration in providing financial assistance to farmers and ranchers impacted by past discrimination. This is an important moment in the history of agriculture in America. For centuries, Black and other ethnic minority farmers and ranchers endured discrimination, including from the USDA itself. Being denied even a small loan can mean a lifetime of lost earnings or even the loss of property. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and the commitment of this White House to racial justice, we’ve taken a step in the right direction. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, I will continue to fight for Black farmers and endeavor to make agriculture a field where people of all backgrounds can thrive,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.

Congresswoman Brown is the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management and Credit. Last year, Brown introduced the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act (H.R. 5915) which expands access to federal support for urban farmers, improves service delivery for urban farmers, and increases funding for the USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production.

Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress allocated $2.2 billion for the program and directed USDA to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021.

The assistance will help many of them continue farming or enhance their operations, will allow some to begin farming, and in other cases will help to ease lost income. The recipients include over 23,000 individuals who have or had a farming or ranching operation. They are receiving between $10,000 and $500,000 of assistance, with an average of nearly $82,000. Recipients also include over 20,000 individuals who planned to have a farming or ranching operation, but reported they were unable to do so because they couldn’t get a USDA loan. These individuals are receiving between $3,500 and $6,000 of assistance, with an average of $5,000.

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