BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A Harrisburg-based nonprofit has joined a lawsuit to restore federal grant funding for farmers cut by President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.
“We've heard [U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins] portray as ‘nonsensical’ what our farmers consider to be vital programs," Hannah Smith-Brubaker, executive director of Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, said in a news release.
"In her mind providing justification for DOGE to terminate them.
“What’s truly ‘nonsensical’ is the arbitrary and baseless cancellation of legally binding agreements — agreements between the federal government and the very people and organizations whose tax dollars fund these programs.
“The government must restore trust by honoring its commitments. Farmers are counting on it, and we are all counting on USDA and the entire executive branch to do the right thing and uphold these binding agreements.”
Smith-Brubaker is scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at a virtual Town Hall about the freeze, its impact on the organization and the lawsuit. Registration is available online.
Pasa officials argue they’re owed more than $3 million in outstanding reimbursements from the federal government and have gotten no payments for more than 60 days.
That's caused leaders to furlough staff starting next month, Pasa said.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by the Southern Environmental Law Center and Public Rights Project in South Carolina District Court, includes six other organizations and five major cities.
The suit “seeks to restore the flow of funding and justice for the irreparable harm caused by the ongoing federal funding freeze, which has disrupted Pasa’s operations and delivered substantial negative impacts to the communities they serve,” according to the release.
‘Dire consequences for the farmers’
Pasa in 2022 was awarded a $55 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant.
The grant money is earmarked for farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners to implement climate-smart production practices.
And from those practices, to build soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon, enhance productivity and build revenue.
Through the program, nonprofits such as Pasa distributed funding to farmers directly, including in the Lehigh Valley.
However, that funding now is frozen, leaving local farmers scrambling at the start of the growing season.
“The funding freeze is not only jeopardizing Pasa’s business operations but is also creating dire consequences for the farmers it serves."Pasa Sustainable Agriculture
Almost $13,000 in approved funds for Lehigh County farmers now are frozen, and $71,000 in Northampton County, according to data from Pasa.
“The funding freeze is not only jeopardizing Pasa’s business operations but is also creating dire consequences for the farmers it serves,” officials said.
“Many farmers made crucial business decisions based on the expectation of funding, only to be left without the support they were promised.
“Now, they are further behind in the growing season and forced to absorb costs they expected would be reimbursed.”
Losing the funding is going to create a ripple effect, officials argue, “as dollars that should have been circulated through local economies — for fence installation, seed supply, nursery stock, and other essential agricultural needs — have been withheld.”
“These stalled funds were intended to support conservation practices such as cover cropping, prescribed grazing and conservation crop rotation — practices that enhance soil health, protect water quality, and improve resilience to extreme weather,” according to the release.
“Without this support, farms, surrounding communities and downstream neighbors face increased vulnerability to flooding, drought and pollution.
“The broader consequences will likely include higher food prices, additional strain on public health, and weakened local food systems.”
Other organizations included in the suit are: the Sustainability Institute, Agrarian Trust, Bronx River Alliance, CleanAIRE NC, Conservation Innovation Fund, Marbleseed and Baltimore, Nashville, San Diego, New Haven, Connecticut and Columbus, Ohio.
