My Quick Take On Stossel’s Pigford Segment

John Stossel did a special on Freeloaders that included a six minute segment on the Pigford case that I’ve been working on the past few months. It’s worth watching and sharing with people who don’t understand Pigford.

I think there was one major omission, however — the plight of the real black farmers who did suffer discrimination and [...]

Obama Administration Offers Settlement to Women, Hispanic Farmers

From the Associated Press:

The Obama administration is offering at least $1.3 billion to settle complaints from female and Hispanic farmers who say they faced discrimination from the Agriculture Department.
The Agriculture and Justice departments announced Friday that farmers who could prove discrimination could receive up to $50,000. The proposal comes after the government settled with American [...]

Keeping the Heat on Sanford Bishop

For weeks now, our readers have asked a consistent question about Pigford — “Can I get a quick, clear explanation about what Pigford is and why it’s important so I can explain this to friends who don’t want to read a 30 page report?”
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) has given us an answer.

Here’s the quick pitch [...]

Farmer Willie Head Responds to Rep. Sanford Bishop on Pigford Fraud

Nearly two weeks ago, I did two interviews with farmers in Georgia who both made a serious accusation against Congressman Sanford Bishop related to the Pigford v. Glickman black farmers settlement — that when they brought up excessive lawyer fees and allegations of fraud, the congressman told them that an investigation of those issues might [...]

Did Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) Want Pigford Fraud Coverup?

The hours of interviews I’ve done with the key people involved in the Pigford settlement are a treasure trove of information about what really happened in this multi-billion dollar debacle. Because of the holidays and then the tragic shooting in Tuscon, I wanted to hold off on releasing details about some of the major news [...]

MLK and the Black Farmers

Georgia farmer Willie Head discusses how and why the government and USDA county committee members who had no oversight and their own agenda, were able to create a situation where black farmers have lost their land.

Be wary when you hear, “We&#82…

Pigford Video Blockbuster: Key ‘Black Farmers’ Lawyer Admits Clients ‘Got Away With Murder’

The mainstream media has treated accusations of large-scale fraud in the Pigford settlement with overt skepticism and a distinct lack of journalistic curiosity. The press has blindly repeated the Obama Administration’s claim that there are only a handful of fraud cases among the twenty thousand or so paid Pigford claims.  Worse, the media has helped [...]

Left, Right and Pigford: Introducing Lee Stranahan–BigGovernment.com’s ‘Progressive’ Pigford Film Documentarian

Both left media and right media are afraid to report the Pigford story.
Those on the left are fearful that BigGovernment.com’s reporting is true – and our biggest detractors are conspicuously silent since we launched our report two weeks ago.
And the right media is fearful of the story because of race.

So far Rep. Steve King is [...]

Huffington Post: The Media’s Failure to Report on Pigford Hurts Black Farmers

From the Huffington Post:

One thing that’s emerged from every conversation I’ve had is that America’s black farmers are this country’s unsung heroes. Farming is hard enough work on its own, but when you add the additional weight of fighting the government’s “good old boy” network that existed in many places, the resilience of the black [...]

Lawmakers Protest ‘High Bar’ Set for Pigford II Settlement Payments

From The Hill:

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are complaining that legislation funding a settlement for discrimination against black farmers sets too high a bar for claimants.
The lawmakers argue language added by the Senate, which is meant to prevent fraud in the program, sets higher standards for proving a claim than were required for [...]

Congress Poised to Pass Indian, Black Farmer Deals

From the Associated Press:

American Indian landowners and African-American farmers who claim they were subjected to mistreatment and discrimination by the government may soon share $4.6 billion after years of litigation.
A House vote expected Tuesday afternoon would complete congressional action and send the authorization to President Barack Obama, whose administration brokered [...]

Congress Should Investigate Pigford II Claims Before Funding Them

I urge my colleagues to consider what the Claims Settlement Act truly presents before voting on the bill this week. This legislation includes over a billion dollars to settle the Pigford II discrimination claims with black farmers. Unfortunately, Pigford is rife with fraudulent claims and to settle before an investigation can take place does the [...]

Pigford II Settlement Partially Funded by Cuts to Children Nutrition

Congress is rushing through its lame duck session to finally appropriate funds to pay out claims from the Pigford II settlement. The settlement is meant to clear up claims from black farmers who claim discrimination from USDA and also missed out on the first settlement.
The legislation sets aside $1.5 billion to pay these claims. The [...]

Ag Sec’y Vilsack’s Legacy: Pigford II Settlement Almost Finalized

From The Hill:

The Senate’s approval of a $1.15 billion settlement for black farmers meant to deal with decades of past discrimination capped a roller-coaster year on the issue for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Vilsack was in the legislative trenches for much of this year pushing for the settlement’s passage, which still must be approved by the [...]

Congress Should Investigate Pigford Before Funding It

Too many elected officials are far too comfortable spending taxpayer dollars without knowing where that money will actually end up. This was proven once again by the Senate’s vote to fund the Pigford Settlements, even though serious claims of fraud exist.

In September, I joined my colleagues Congressmen Steve King (IA-05) and Bob Goodlatte (VA-06) to [...]

Senate Approves $4.6 Billion to Settle Pigford, Indian Discrimination Cases

From the Associated Press:

The Senate has approved almost $4.6 billion to settle long-standing claims brought by American Indians and black farmers against the government.
The money has been held up for months in the Senate as Democrats and Republicans squabbled over how to pay for it. The two class action lawsuits were filed over a decade [...]

Black Farm Groups Demand Immediate Senate Action on Pigford Funding

From the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) website:
On Monday, September 27, the Network of Black Farm Groups and Advocates delivered a letter to all Senators urging “immediate action” regarding the passage of a measure providing funding for the settlement of Pigford vs. Vilsack, a class-action lawsuit filed by Black farmers against USDA more than a [...]

Judge Overturns California Gay Marriage Ban

From AFP:

A federal judge overturned California’s ban on same-sex marriage US media reported Wednesday, the latest twist in a legal saga which could have nationwide implications for the divisive social issue.
In a written opinion, Judge Vaughn Walker found in favor of rights activists who argued that a November 2008 referendum which barred gays and lesbians [...]

Congressman: Sherrod’s Hiring Should Be Investigated

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to interview Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa) for my radio show, “The Ben Shapiro Show,” which broadcasts every Sunday 1-4 PM ET in Orlando, FL. The topic of Shirley Sherrod came up, and in particular, the topic of the so-called Pigford Farms settlement.
For background, the Pigford Farms case is a [...]