On January 20, 2025, the president issued Executive Order 13985, which placed all federal employees deemed to work on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-related programs on administrative leave, including USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, which houses Section 2501 (Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program). And the next day, an executive order “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” laid out groundwork for the Attorney General and Agencies to specifically target private sector entities that conduct or fund DEI work. Funding for many of the Farm Bill programs we support, like the Farmer and Rancher Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) which supports farmer mental health, the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach grant program (FOTO), and many others, may be targeted.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo on January 27th putting in place a widespread freeze on spending on federal loans and grants. The memo was temporarily halted by a federal court judge after a lawsuit was filed by a collection of nonprofits. In response, the OMB rescinded the memo. OMB also issued clarification that the memo did not include funding to individuals and froze funding for programs related to Executive Orders pertaining to abortion, climate change, DEI, and gender, among others.
However, the White House indicated that they still planned to pause funding and that Agencies should review federal spending to align with the President’s Executive Orders. On Friday, January 31 a second federal judge issued another temporary halt to the funding freeze in response to a separate lawsuit brought by 22 states and D.C. As of February 4, both judges are hearing arguments and have directed the federal government to lift the freeze while the lawsuits proceed. The federal government complied and issued new guidance to agencies to resume spending. However, if you are having trouble accessing federal funds, please let us know by email policy@youngfarmers.org!
We are closely monitoring the situation and working closely with our partners to learn more about how these Orders will be interpreted at USDA and other Agencies, and to identify paths for us to work together to fight decisions that impact our members, communities, and our mission.
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Policy Tracking Resources:
- Summary of EOs from the National Council of Nonprofits
- Summary of EOs from Land and Liberation
- Food Policy Tracker from Civil Eats
Resources for those working closely with immigrant communities:
- Know Your Rights resources from NJ Office for New Americans (in English and Spanish)
- Community Resources from Immigrant Legal Resources Center (in English and Spanish)
- Know Your Rights guide from the Chinese-American Planning Council