NATIONAL NEWS

Wisconsin dairy farmer sues Trump administration claiming discrimination against white farmers

Jun 16, 2025, 6:16 AM

In this photo released by The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Faust’s attorneys, Wiscons...

In this photo released by The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Faust’s attorneys, Wisconsin dairy farmer Adam Faust, who is suing the Trump administration alleging discrimination against white farmers like him, poses inside his dairy barn in Chilton, Wisconsin, in 2021. (The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty via AP)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin dairy farmer alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities.

The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust.

Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in the USDA’s Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan.

The new lawsuit alleges the government has continued to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. The Wisconsin Institute wrote to the USDA in April warning of legal action, and six Republican Wisconsin congressmen called on the USDA to investigate and end the programs.

“The USDA should honor the President’s promise to the American people to end racial discrimination in the federal government,” Faust said in a written statement. “After being ignored by a federal agency that’s meant to support agriculture, I hope my lawsuit brings answers, accountability, and results from USDA.”

Trump administration spokesperson Anna Kelly did not immediately respond to an email Monday seeking comment.

The lawsuit contends that Faust is one of 2 million white male American farmers who are subject to discriminatory race-based policies at the USDA.

The lawsuit names three USDA programs and policies it says put white men at a disadvantage and violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal treatment by discriminating based on race and sex.

Faust participates in one program designed to offset the gap between milk prices and the cost of feed, but the lawsuit alleges he is charged a $100 administrative fee that minority and female farmers do not have to pay.

Faust also participates in a USDA program that guarantees 90% of the value of loans to white farmers, but 95% to women and racial minorities. That puts Faust at a disadvantage, the lawsuit alleges.

Faust has also begun work on a new manure storage system that could qualify for reimbursement under a USDA environmental conservation program, but 75% of his costs are eligible while 90% of the costs of minority farmers qualify, the lawsuit contends.

A federal court judge ruled in a similar 2021 case that granting loan forgiveness only to “socially disadvantaged farmers” amounts to unconstitutional race discrimination. The Biden administration suspended the program and Congress repealed it in 2022.

The Wisconsin Institute has filed dozens of such lawsuits in 25 states attacking DEI programs in government. In its April letter to the USDA, the law firm that has a long history of representing Republicans said it didn’t want to sue “but there is no excuse for this continued discrimination.”

Trump has been aggressive in trying to end the government’s DEI efforts to fulfill a campaign promise and bring about a profound cultural shift across the U.S. from promoting diversity to an exclusive focus on merit.

National News

Associated Press

Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed former employee for a leading voting equipment company

DENVER (AP) — A federal jury in Colorado on Monday found that one of the nation’s most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, defamed a former employee for a leading voting equipment company after the 2020 presidential election. The employee, Eric Coomer, sued after Lindell called him a traitor and accusations about him […]

20 minutes ago

FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott A...

Associated Press

Supreme Court to hear appeal from Chevron in landmark Louisiana coastal damage lawsuits

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Supreme Court announced Monday it will hear an appeal from Chevron, Exxon and other oil and gas companies that lawsuits seeking compensation for coastal land loss and environmental degradation in Louisiana should be heard in federal court. The companies are appealing a 2024 decision by a federal appeals court that […]

29 minutes ago

FILE - Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., speaks during the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hea...

Associated Press

Georgia man charged with leaving threatening messages for 2 Republican senators

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia man accused of leaving threatening voicemails for two Republican U.S. senators appeared in federal court to face charges Monday. Robert Davis Forney, 25, of Duluth, Georgia, was arraigned in Atlanta on two federal counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce, according to court records. A grand jury indicted him last […]

48 minutes ago

A sign of Immigration Court is displayed outside of Immigration Court, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Ch...

Associated Press

Trump immigration policies targeting Democratic cities energize organizers, leave others confused

CHICAGO (AP) — To Jose Abel Garcia, a Guatemalan immigrant in the Los Angeles area, President Donald Trump’s latest promise to expand deportations in Democratic-led cities doesn’t change much. The 38-year-old garment worker said Trump’s doubling down on Democratic strongholds while pausing immigration arrests at restaurants, hotels and farms doesn’t spare workers who are simply […]

1 hour ago

FILE - North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein speaks to reporters after a Council of State meeti...

Associated Press

North Carolina judges side with GOP lawmakers for who gets say on highway patrol commander

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A panel of North Carolina judges dismissed one of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s cases against Republican legislative leaders Monday, upholding part of a power-shifting law that prevents Stein from selecting the State Highway Patrol commander. Three Superior Court judges made the decision unanimously. The judges’ decision means that the dispute won’t […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Peter Mohler named new University of Alabama president

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees on Monday appointed Peter J. Mohler as the next president of the University of Alabama. Mohler comes to the role from Ohio State University where he served as executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge and as chief scientific officer of the […]

2 hours ago

Wisconsin dairy farmer sues Trump administration claiming discrimination against white farmers