Black and brown farmers sue U.S. government over repealed debt relief

After debt relief promised under the American Rescue Plan Act was repealed under a section of the Inflation Reduction Act, farmers of color are suing the U.S government.
A class action lawsuit was announced this week alleging that the U.S. government broke its promise of debt relief to Black and brown farmers.

In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act allocation $4 billion of debt relief to socially disadvantaged farmers in response to previous discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That included Black, Native American, Hispanic and Asian farmers. The relief had been stalled by lawsuits from multiple banks and white farmers.

The provision was repealed under the Inflation Reduction Act this August, which replaced it with $3 billion relief for economically distressed farmers of any race. It also included $2.2 billion for farmers who can prove the USDA discriminated against them.