Thompson Hails Pigford II Funding Settlement

Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) released the following statement regarding House passage of H.R. 4783, the Claims Resolution Act of 2010.

“I applaud Congress’ passage of legislation that will finally ensure that African-American farmers receive compensation for the years of injustice they received at the hands of the United States Department of Agriculture,” Thompson said.  “Years of neglect forced many African-American farmers to close their farms, while their neighbors benefited from USDA farm programs.  Today’s legislation funding the $1.2 billion Pigford settlement will close this dark chapter in our nation’s history.

“While this settlement is a major step towards providing justice for decades old acts of discrimination at USDA, there are still thousands of similar cases currently at USDA that were lodged during the Bush Administration.  Due to USDA’s two-year statute of limitation, these claims cannot be resolved without Congressional action.  I will continue to vigorously press my colleagues for the passage of legislation to clear this backlog and bring closure on behalf of these farmers who were mistreated.”

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