House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said today that he is “very disappointed” that senators struck settlement funds for African-American farmers who faced discrimination from a supplemental spending bill his chamber passed earlier this year.
The funds, known at the Pigford II settlement, are intended to compensate farmers for long-standing racial discrimination they faced from USDA that, in many cases, resulted in the loss of their farms. The settlement achieved a level of publicity last week after some conservatives attempted to use the firing of Shirley Sherrod to claim that the settlement procedures had led to fraud.
Asked by TPM during his weekly press briefing if the funds will be approved by Congress this year, Hoyer said there are discussions under way.
Hoyer (D-MD) said the funds which are part of the government’s “moral and legal responsibility” to make up for widespread discrimination against black farmers and native Americans. He added that the settlement money is paid for. The funds were attached to an “emergency” spending measure funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The House will vote again on that bill before adjourning for the August recess.
He didn’t give details but Hoyer said lawmakers will soon revisit the farmers’ settlement money, which even House Minority Leader John Boehner said last week he supports.
“We are looking at how to deal with that this week,” Hoyer said.
