… Of having “handed out farm benefits to people based on skin color.”
If I had a sense of humor, I would be laughing. As a former senior-level Appointee at USDA, I have a much deeper, more accurate understanding of how USDA has handled benefits in the past. I first learned that USDA had refused to allow Black Farmers to apply for decades.
To be clear, “apply” did not mean they got benefits but rather the specific “refuse to allow Black farmers to apply” meant that there would be no records of the dirty actions. This happened almost everywhere in the Deep South. Also some other places, but the strategy of not being allowed to apply meant there were also no records of turn-downs for programs that Black Farmers qualified for.
Secretary Dan Glickman, during the Clinton Administration, negotiated a settlement; Congress authorized the settlement. The next step should have been appropriations but by then, George Bush was president; he said no … so it was legal to pay, but Bush’s foot pushed heavily on the “STOP” pedal.
Now — flash forward. Obama/Vilsack for excuses, but Biden made the commitment during his 2020 campaign that it was time/past time to pay the damages. President Biden did, so Vance is angry.
The only good thing about this, surprisingly, is that Vance stopped at blaming anonymous single women with cats for the problem.
CBS NEWS, Face the Nation: Transcript: Sen. JD Vance on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Aug. 11, 2024