Obama USDA offering women, Hispanic farmers over $1.3 billion in discrimination payouts

Something stinks in the pasture and I think
it’s a bit of BS.

——–

As part of “a new era of civil rights” at the
Department of Agriculture, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced
Monday that Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who believe USDA
discriminated against them can file claims to get a piece of at least $1.33
billion in cash awards and tax relief payments and up to $160 million in farm
debt relief, beginning this week.

Women and Hispanic ranchers and farmers who
feel the agency denied their loan or loan servicing applications because of
their race or gender at various periods from 1981 to 2000 can file claims
alleging discrimination from Sept. 24, 2012, to March 25, 2013, for a slice
of the payout.

“Hispanic and women farmers who believe they
have faced discriminatory practices from the USDA must file a claim by March
25, 2013 in order to have a chance to receive a cash payment or loan
forgiveness,” Vilsack explained in a statement Monday. “The opening of this
claims process is part of USDA’s ongoing efforts to correct the wrongs of the
past and ensure fair treatment to all current and future customers.”

This is the third settlement to interest
groups the USDA is believed to have discriminated against during the Obama
administration.

“When I was sworn in as secretary of
Agriculture two years ago, President [Barack] Obama and I made a commitment
to mend USDA’s troubled civil rights record,” Vilsack said in 2011 statement.
“Since then, we have taken comprehensive action to turn the page on past
discrimination. Last year we entered into a settlement with black farmers in
Pigford II to address pending claims, and finalized a historic settlement
agreement with Native American farmers under Keepseagle that faced
discrimination by USDA.”

The $1.25 billion Pigford II settlement —
which covered black farmers who charged that the USDA had discriminated
against them when applying for loans from 1981 to 1996 but missed the filing
deadline in the original 1999 Pigford settlement (named for the lead
plaintiff, Timothy Pigford, in a class action lawsuit against the government)
— made headlines in 2011 for the allegations of fraud in the program.

The Keepseagle settlement made $760 million
available to Native American farmers and ranchers who believe they did not
receive the same farm loan opportunities as whites between 1981 and 1999.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/25/obama-usda-offering-women-hispanic-farmers-over-1-3-billion-in-discrimination-payouts/#ixzz2OTgEQduT