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Obama to propose $1.25B for black farmers
By BEN EVANS (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
May 06, 2009 5:16 PM EDT
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is proposing that the government provide $1.25 billion to settle discrimination claims by black farmers against the Agriculture Department.
The White House said the money would be included in the president's 2010 budget request to be unveiled Thursday.
Obama had taken criticism earlier this year from black farmers and lawmakers who said the federal government was neglecting the need for more money to fund claims under a <span style="font-weight: bold">decade-old class-action lawsuit against the government.</span>
In a statement, Obama said the proposed settlement funds would "close this chapter" in the agency's history and allow it to move on.
"My hope is that the farmers and their families who were denied access to USDA loans and programs will be made whole and will have the chance to rebuild their lives and their businesses," he said.
At issue is a class-action lawsuit in which thousands of farmers sued USDA claiming they had for years been denied government loans and other assistance that routinely went to whites. <span style="font-weight: bold">The government settled in 1999 and has paid out nearly $1 billion in damages on almost 16,000 claims.</span>
But many farmers have argued for reopening the settlement because they missed deadlines for filing. Many said they didn't know that damages were available.
Last year, Congress passed a proposal sponsored by then-Sen. Obama and others to give more farmers a chance at a settlement.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press
By BEN EVANS (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
May 06, 2009 5:16 PM EDT
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is proposing that the government provide $1.25 billion to settle discrimination claims by black farmers against the Agriculture Department.
The White House said the money would be included in the president's 2010 budget request to be unveiled Thursday.
Obama had taken criticism earlier this year from black farmers and lawmakers who said the federal government was neglecting the need for more money to fund claims under a <span style="font-weight: bold">decade-old class-action lawsuit against the government.</span>
In a statement, Obama said the proposed settlement funds would "close this chapter" in the agency's history and allow it to move on.
"My hope is that the farmers and their families who were denied access to USDA loans and programs will be made whole and will have the chance to rebuild their lives and their businesses," he said.
At issue is a class-action lawsuit in which thousands of farmers sued USDA claiming they had for years been denied government loans and other assistance that routinely went to whites. <span style="font-weight: bold">The government settled in 1999 and has paid out nearly $1 billion in damages on almost 16,000 claims.</span>
But many farmers have argued for reopening the settlement because they missed deadlines for filing. Many said they didn't know that damages were available.
Last year, Congress passed a proposal sponsored by then-Sen. Obama and others to give more farmers a chance at a settlement.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press
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