TPMMuckraker

Pigford Vote Delayed; Expected Tomorrow

Members of the National Black Farmers Association march outside the USDA in 2002.

A vote on approving $1.15 billion for the Pigford settlement, scheduled for last night, has been delayed. Senate Democrats expect to vote tomorrow instead.

Congress, especially the Senate, has struggled to authorize money for the Pigford settlement, which grants restitution to African-American farmers discriminated against by the USDA.

The vote is expected to pass in the form of a unanimous consent request, after the Senate votes on a bill that would provide billions in state aid for teachers and Medicaid. Leadership wanted to pass the state aid bill yesterday, but postponed it after the Congressional Budget Office reported that the bill isn’t deficit neutral.

Leaders will try again tomorrow after making changes to the bill.

Discrimination, Pigford settlement, USDA

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