The Department of Agriculture has an announcement for farmers. owed federal grant money Think about removing "counterproductive DEIA" elements from your initiatives to receive funding more quickly.
The department informed those farmers in a letter sent last week that they would start handling the delayed payments after thirty days. However, they are initially urging the farmers to modify their energy initiatives, like setting up solar panels or enhancing ventilation systems, so as to eliminate diversity elements or implement other changes that more closely match President Donald Trump’s objectives.
"When I received that, I sent it to my USDA representative and asked, 'What on earth does this mean?'" said Michael Protas, who was granted money to put up solar panels on his farm in Dickerson, Maryland.
The interruption of three rural energy initiatives, which were halted by the Trump administration in January, has stranded farmers and led to a federal lawsuit. According to a letter from the USDA sent out last week, they will start releasing the delayed funds, ensuring that all recipients will ultimately get their allocated money.
The department distributed an optional web-based questionnaire to impacted farmers, encouraging them to suggest modifications within thirty days. Participants completing this survey—whether agreeing with proposed adjustments or indicating they wouldn’t change their plans—would see their financial support expedited upon review and acceptance of suggested alterations as per the department’s guidelines. Conversely, individuals failing to respond shall experience a one-month delay before the department initiates the disbursement process for their grants.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that the department was making adjustments following the Inflation Reduction Act, which is associated with President Joe Biden. key climate and healthcare legislation , “delivered more bureaucracy than benefits for rural families.”
But farmers said the announcement created only more confusion and another hurdle to receive funding they desperately need to pay off loans and replenish money already spent on projects. Some reported finally receiving their payments this week without having altered their projects. Others said that they feared their contracts with the USDA would be voided if they responded to the survey in the wrong way and that they weren’t sure what changes the Agriculture Department is looking for.
“DEI has nothing to do with solar panels,” Protas said. “I don’t know what they’re asking for.”
The Agriculture Department declined to answer questions from The Washington Post about what changes to remove diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility from rural energy projects could entail.
The funding embargo began on Trump’s inaugural day as he signed an order. executive order To hold back millions of dollars in funds pledged to farmers from past years aimed at promoting sustainable and energy-efficient farming methods. Numerous agreements included compensating farmers for their costs; however, the delay in payments placed these financial burdens squarely on them.
On March 13, multiple farmers along with nonprofit organizations sued The Agriculture Department is being accused of improperly holding back funds that Congress had allocated. (According to Hana Vizcarra, an attorney with Earthjustice, one plaintiff in the lawsuit was granted funding on Monday. The Agriculture Department has not responded to inquiries from The Post regarding the lawsuit.)
“They expect the government just to fulfill their obligations,” Vizcarra said. “And instead, as the new administration came in, they just froze all the funds and disrupted work that was already ongoing and put everything at risk.”
The request for farmers to complete a survey and consider changing their projects came as another frustrating curveball to those who have waited months for their money under the Empowering Rural America (New ERA), Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) and Rural Energy for America (REAP) programs.
“It just adds more confusion,” said Protas, who took out a roughly $97,000 loan to install solar panels on his farm. A REAP grant was supposed to cover about half the amount.
The Agriculture Department’s letter said that, besides removing diversity features, project revisions could include using “more affordable and effective energy sources” and implementing changes to increase “production, transportation, refining and generation capacity of energy and critical minerals.”
The department had earlier taken pride in rejecting grants aimed at promoting diversity programs. In a March social media post, Rollins mentioned that she terminated a $397,000 grant to a California-based non-profit organization running a training initiative for aspiring farmers. She stated this program was focused on teaching "queer, trans, and BIPOC urban farmers and consumers about food justice," as reported by Civil Eats. reported .
Earthjustice called The announcement was labeled as a "stunt" and the department was accused of fabricating an excuse to withhold funds from farmers who refuse to alter their programs. Vizcarra also mentioned that farmers supported through various other USDA initiatives continue to be without the financial assistance they were expecting.
This simply seems like an extra obstacle we have to overcome," she stated. "There’s no reason for them to further complicate things for those who received grants by making them wonder if they must use specific phrases to obtain funds that the government has already committed to giving.
Travis Forgues, who operates a dairy farm in Westby, Wisconsin, along with his spouse, Amy, mentioned that he anticipates receiving approximately a $55,000 REAP grant to assist with the cost of installing solar panels. Last week, the pair completed the USDA’s questionnaire and stated they wouldn’t be altering their plans for the project.
I hope we haven't made an error here," Forgues stated. "When discussing topics like solar power or energy autonomy, this isn't really related to diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. To be honest, even if it were tied to those matters, I wouldn't consider it significant.
David Funk manages an energy consultancy firm that offers services funded by REAP for farmers in Idaho and nearby regions like Washington. Last week, he submitted a declaration stating that he wouldn’t alter his program’s operations and recommended his farming clientele follow suit. Although he got paid on Monday evening, several of the farmers collaborating with him have yet to receive their funds.
Funk stated that he appreciated the Agriculture Department’s commitment to providing compensation to recipients at last. However, he also noted that it seemed inefficient for the government to subject farmers to such prolonged ambiguity before reinstating their access to financial resources.
"They have harmed numerous businesses and undermined the reliability of the government in their pursuit to eliminate DEI from things that do not actually possess it," Funk stated.
