USDA Cancels Much of $300 Million Land-Access Program Citing DEI Concerns

Overview

• The department halted much of the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program, a roughly $300 million ARPA effort that backed about 50 projects under five-year awards.
• The grants funded nonprofit and tribal groups that helped underserved farmers buy or keep land through training, financing help, and legal guidance.
• A cancellation letter obtained by Politico said the awards used discriminatory DEI preferences and called the spending wasteful.
• Advocates and Democratic lawmakers warned the loss of this support will make it harder for Black, Indigenous, and immigrant farmers to secure loans and hold clear title.
• The decision aligns with a broader USDA push under Secretary Brooke Rollins to unwind DEI- and climate-linked grants, which has prompted fresh lawsuits from Democratic-led states.