Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promising $5 billion in aid to Black farmers
That promise was made in a podcast interview with John Boyd Jr., the founder of the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA), per Fox News.
Part of the discussion involved the lack of funding for Black farmers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This was part of President Joe Bidenâs America Rescue Plan in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
âI can tell you that when Iâm in the White House, youâre going to be out there the first week, Iâm going to get rid of those people in USDA and get that money,â Kennedy said.
Boyd said Biden has been focused on student debt relief but not the âdebt reliefâ needed by Black farmers.
Boyd said he would not support Biden because he hasnât helped âstruggling Black farmers who are losing their land.â
The USDA foreclosed on farmer wanting assistance $5 billion debt relief that was available in the American Rescue Plan Act, he said.
âThat $5 billion is not money, that is an entitlement,â Kennedy, an independent candidate for president, said. âItâs money that was a loan that Black farmers were entitled to way back then and was stolen from them through discrimination. You can testify it was personally stolen from you and thatâs what the court found.â
Kennedy also said the USDA is âbroken from the top down.â
âIf you were Black, you wouldnât get it and thatâs wrong ⌠and I donât think anybody who views the values of this country think that thatâs a good idea so Iâm going to fix that,â Kennedy said.
