[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 206 (Thursday, December 14, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H6947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0915
           STRENGTHENING CIVIL RIGHTS ACCOUNTABILITY AT USDA

  (Mr. JACKSON of Illinois asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to discuss why 
this body needs to pass the JUST Act of 2023. This bill will strengthen 
civil rights accountability at the United States Department of 
Agriculture.
  Some may question why this bill is necessary. The USDA has a long and 
checkered history of racial policies and discrimination against Black 
and other minority farmers.
  In the 20th century, the USDA farm lending programs undermined 
African-American farmers' ability to continue their operations, and the 
numbers don't lie.
  At the beginning of the 1900s, there were more than 925,000 Black 
farm operators who owned more than 16 million acres of land.
  The most recent numbers from 2017 paint a bleak picture. There are 
only 48,000 Black family farm operators left. So let's strengthen civil 
rights accountability at the USDA by passing the JUST Act.

                          ____________________