EXCLUSIVE – A new House Republican bill would strip back language from federal law that gives enhanced benefits or priority consideration to certain farmers in Department of Agriculture programs based on race or gender.
Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC), a freshman member of the House Agriculture Committee, is introducing the Equal Treatment for Farmers Act on Monday, the Washington Examiner has exclusively learned. This bill would strike the classification “socially disadvantaged” from federal law surrounding USDA programs after the Trump administration’s Department of Justice found the use of the language unconstitutional.
The USDA and federal law currently defines a “socially disadvantaged” farmer or rancher as one “who has been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudices because of their identity as a member of a group without regard to their individual qualities.” According to a USDA study, many of these “socially disadvantaged” farmers have their farms concentrated in southern and western states.
President Donald Trump’s DOJ concluded in February that programs that use this “socially disadvantaged” classification are discriminatory, writing a letter to alert House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of their finding and to flag which federal laws include the language.
“The Department of Justice will no longer defend the constitutionality of race- or sex-based preferences in those programs,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote to Johnson. “The Department of Justice, however, continues to defend other aspects of the programs that employ race- and sex-neutral criteria.”
Harris’s bill strikes or amends the “socially disadvantaged” language from each provision the DOJ flagged to Johnson in an effort to make sure USDA assistance programs are based on merit and need.
“Every farmer, rancher, and rural community deserves to be treated equally under the law,” Harris said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “USDA programs should be based on merit — not arbitrary classifications like race or gender. This legislation restores fairness and ensures federal resources are distributed in a way that is consistent with our Constitution.”
As introduced, the bill removes the DEI-related classifications from several laws, including the Federal Crop Insurance Act, the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, and the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.
The Equal Treatment for Farmers Act also includes a provision that prohibits any future USDA programs from including language that gives preference, priority consideration, or enhanced benefits based on race or gender.
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The bill falls in line with the Trump administration’s aims to strip back DEI provisions in federal government systems and programs, an effort re-launched on day one of Trump’s second term in 2025.
Harris’s action is the latest effort by congressional Republicans this session to bring Trump’s executive actions to a legislative level, with several bills introduced to dismantle DEI structures, including in higher education institutions that receive federal funding.