Harris' Bill Eliminates Race & Gender in Farm Aid

0:00It's April 20th. This is US News Today, powered by AI Your Country in real time. I'm Cory with the story. Rep, Mark Harris from North Carolina, dropped a new bill called the Equal Treatment for Farmers Act. It aims to wipe out race and gender classifications in federal agriculture programs. This comes right after the Justice Department ruled those setups unconstitutional. The bill targets the term socially disadvantaged and key laws like the Federal Crop Insurance Act and the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. It would scrap preferences based on race or ethnicity which the USDA ties to folks facing prejudice. Plus, it blocks any future USDA programs from giving priority or extra perks by race or gender. Back in February, the Justice Department's solicitor general wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson, they said they won't defend these race or sex based preferences anymore. But they'll still back neutral programs that don't play favorites. Harris, who's on the House Agriculture Committee, says it's all about merit and real need,

1:03not demographics. He wants every farmer and rancher treated equal under the Constitution no matter their background. This fits into the bigger Republican push to kill diversity, equity, and inclusion rules across federal programs. With Trump's second term kicking off in 2025, expect more bills like this to lock in those changes for good.