Victory: Court Restores Grants That Trump’s Agriculture Department Yanked From Farmers and Community Groups

What just happened: Farmers and community groups that faced serious economic hardship when the Trump administration reneged on grants just got a reprieve. A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep grant money flowing to several groups that Earthjustice is representing.

Why it matters: Our clients will use these USDA grants to work toward a healthier nation and a fairer food system. Without the money, they have had to terminate programs, leave land fallow, lay off staff, and curtail education efforts. While the relief granted is limited to the plaintiffs in the case, the ruling sets a strong precedent that could allow hundreds of other grant cancelations to be challenged and reinstated.

Who We’re Fighting to Protect

• The Trump administration canceled more than 600 USDA grants, hundreds of which benefited farmers and organizations that work to strengthen rural communities, address food insecurity, advance sustainable agriculture, and more.
• Earthjustice is litigating this case alongside FarmSTAND and Farmers Justice Center. Our clients include:
  • Agroecology Commons, which trains farmers from underserved communities in the Bay Area
  • Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, which works to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm, and trade systems
  • Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative, which helps farmers protect their crops from drought, flood, and degraded soil, identifying best practices in sustainable agriculture and sharing its learnings
  • Providence Farm Collective, which helps farmers in Western New York gain access to clean farmland, technical equipment, markets, and education.
  • The Urban Sustainability Directors Network, which supports local government sustainability directors in building resilience to extreme heat through urban forestry
• In total, our clients were awarded more than $34 million in grant funding that the administration then tried to yank by sending them a barely-edited form letter.

How the Trump Administration Broke the Law

• Trump’s USDA failed to provide a reasonable explanation for the grant terminations, which a law called the Administration Procedure Act requires it to do.
• The USDA also acted unlawfully by contradicting a mandate from Congress to distribute the grant funding.
• Based on these and other legal violations, our clients took the administration to court.

What Happens Next

• This ruling was a preliminary injunction – a court order that temporarily stops someone from doing something while the judge hears a case on the merits and determines whether the action is legal.
• Because the judge has preliminarily vacated the cancellation of our clients’ grants, the Trump administration must reinstate the grants and deliver their funding.
• We have asked the court to end the USDA’s pattern of unlawfully terminating hundreds of grants. The court will further consider this claim after USDA produces documents reflecting its reasons for terminating our clients’ and others’ grants. If the judge ultimately rules in our favor, all similarly terminated grants could be restored to the farmers and communities who need them.
• Earthjustice lawsuits are also challenging the freezing or canceling of a much bigger pool of grants totaling billions of dollars. This money includes $2.8 billion for a national network of electric vehicle charging stations as well as grants to advance sustainable agriculture, environmental justice, climate resilience, and environmental restoration.