Relief for ‘socially disadvantaged’ farmers unfair
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Editor,
This past weekend, the U.S. Senate passed a $1.9 trillion “COVID relief” package. The House is set to vote on it this week. What you may not know is that tucked in the Democrats’ “COVID relief” is a provision that would pay up to 120 percent of USDA loans to socially disadvantaged farmers. Senator Daines has major issues with this.
First: these loans actually have nothing to do with COVID-19. This would apply to all USDA loans.
Second: it’s not only going to pay off the total loan amount, but it’s actually giving up to an extra 20 percent on top of that. Say a farmer has a $100,000 loan - they would now get their entire loan paid off and an extra $20,000 in their pockets. And again, the loan isn’t COVID related. How does that have to do with pandemic relief? This is a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Third: these payoffs only go to “socially disadvantaged” farmers. One may think that this has to do with income or financial status but actually, “socially disadvantaged” is based on ethnicity. This money is entirely determined by a farmer’s ethnicity and has nothing to do with actual need. So, a wealthy Hispanic farmer - or any other minority - in California could get tons of money, while a struggling white farmer in Montana gets nothing. This is not fair to a majority of Montana farmers.
This non-COVID related funding should not be given out in the first place. Let alone be based on the color of someone’s skin.
This was one of the many items on Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s “liberal wish list” that they disguised as “COVID relief.” Instead of using taxpayer dollars wisely and targeting relief to those who need it most, they used this package as a trojan horse for their agenda.
Montana taxpayers and Montana farmers deserve better.
Katherine McKeogh
Press Secretary
Office of Senator Steve Daines
