'What in the world?' Farmers left bewildered by Trump demand
U.S. farmers who are desperately awaiting congressionally appropriated funds to pay their bills have been told by the Trump administration that they first need to remove "diversity aspects or make other revisions to better align" their clean energy projects "with President Donald Trump’s agenda."
A new report in The Washington Post said farmers received the confusing demand in a letter from the Agriculture Department last week urging farmers to make the changes in exchange for quicker payments.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote that "the department was issuing a course correction after the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s signature climate and health-care law, delivered more bureaucracy than benefits for rural families," according to the Post.
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"But farmers said the announcement only created more confusion and another hurdle to receive funding they desperately need to pay off loans and replenish money they had already spent on projects," wrote reporter Daniel Wu.
One farmer in Maryland, Michael Protas, who was expecting funds for solar panel installation, said he forwarded the letter to his USDA representative, asking, "What in the world does this mean? DEI has nothing to do with solar panels. I don’t know what they’re asking for.”
Wu wrote that the Agriculture Department "declined to answer questions from The Washington Post about what changes to remove diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility from rural energy projects could entail."
Hana Vizcarra, an Earthjustice attorney suing the Agriculture Department said the farmers “expect the government just to fulfill their obligations. And instead, as the new administration came in, they just froze all the funds and disrupted work that was already ongoing and put everything at risk.”
Travis Forgues, who runs a creamery in Wisconsin, reportedly told The Post, “When you’re trying to talk about solar or energy independence, this is not a DEI issue. And quite frankly, if it was a DEI issue, who cares?”