Criticism of USDA Concerning Civil Rights
GAO report is critical of USDA.
Compiled by staff
Published: Oct 24, 2008
Congressional criticism was bipartisan and swift on Oct. 22 following a Governmental Accountability Office report that criticized USDA efforts on civil rights for "significant deficiencies." A statement from three Senators said the report "found that USDA fails to track and adjudicate civil rights complaints, fails to provide accurate data regarding minority participation in USDA programs, and fails to adequately undertake strategic planning with respect to civil rights."
The GAO report was conducted at the request of U.S. Senators Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and U.S. Representatives Joe Baca, D-Calif., and Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y. The lawmakers asked the GAO to focus especially on the performance of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, a position created in the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act and tasked with directing civil rights efforts across USDA. Baca, who chairs the House USDA oversight subcommittee, joined in requesting the report in 2006. He issued a statement noting the GAO report "shows the (USDA's) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights has not lived up to its congressional mandate."
Source: Feedstuffs
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