From Crew of 42

“Pure Unadulterated Racism,” Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings said about Iowa Rep. Steve King’s attempt to strip $1.2 billion dollars for the the black farmers’ discrimination settlement. Several members of the CBC expressed the same feelings. “For years, Black farmers have faced discrimination—not only from businesses, but from the very government that was meant to protect them—not on our watch. We will not let that happen again,” CBC Chair Cleaver said in a statement.

Rep. King’s amendment focuses only on blacks. The amendment to the Agriculture bill offered by Rep. Steve King appeared to only strip money from the black farmers discrimination case — and black farmers ONLY. Even though settlement money for women and native Americans is also being paid out. Rep. King’s amendment gave focus to only one group and he claims “massive fraud” on only one group of farmers: blacks. Though the U.S. spends $20 billion per year on farm subsidies and the settlement money is a one time payout, Rep. King is interested and claiming fraud on only one group: black farmers. He appears to be uninterested in investigating the other $4 billion dollars which is part of the same settlement for women farmers and Indian American farmers who also won their discrimination suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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