Wire services report this week that USDA offered a $1.3 billion settlement to resolve complaints made by female and Latino farmers. They claim discrimination from the agency. This comes as Congress is about to move on another $1.3 billion to settle African-American claims of similar discrimination.
A Justice Department official provided details of the proposed settlement to The Associated Press. The story notes those claims were filed more than 10 years ago and sought a larger settlement. The attorney for the Latino farmers told AP the cases remain far from resolved.
Last year, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a statement essentially calling on USDA to move through the claims and get them cleared. This move could be part of that effort. Essentially this administration wants to end the conflict with groups making these claims.
Whether the offered settlement to the women and Latino groups will end the matter remains to be seen. AP reports that under the settlement, the government would reach out to farming communities to make the affected groups aware of the settlement, and successful claimants could get as much as $50,000 each, but that could fall based on the number of claims filed.
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