The Sconi

Tom Tiffany, Representative of Wisconsin, said that the federal government must eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at the Department of Agriculture to halt what he perceives as discriminatory practices. This statement was made on X.

"Wisconsin's House Republicans are calling on the USDA to eliminate all Biden-era DEI programs," said Tiffany. "If we want to end discrimination, the first step is for the government to stop discriminating."

Federal and state debates over DEI in agriculture have intensified amid political shifts. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the agency recently removed DEI scoring criteria from 14 Rural Development programs in response to Executive Order 14151, which mandates the rollback of federal DEI initiatives. As reported by Magnolia Tribune, Mississippi’s Agriculture Commissioner also ordered a review to eliminate DEI components from state agricultural policies, framing the move as a return to merit-based systems. These actions reflect a growing national reconsideration of equity-based programming in agricultural policy.

Under the Biden administration, the USDA committed over $2 billion in funding from 2019 to 2023 to support socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including minority producers in states like Oklahoma. According to Investigate Midwest, these funds aimed to assist with farmland acquisition, operations, and infrastructure as part of broader DEI efforts within federal agriculture policy. However, recent administrative changes have cast uncertainty on the future of such targeted funding programs.

According to the USDA Economic Research Service, African American-operated farms have historically lagged in profitability and federal support compared to their white counterparts. DEI initiatives introduced during the Biden administration aimed to close this gap by providing targeted assistance and outreach. As reported by the USDA in a 2024 Amber Waves analysis, these programs contributed to improved performance metrics among minority-operated farms; however, recent policy reversals raise concerns about sustaining these gains.

Congressman Tiffany has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District since 2020 and previously served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate. According to his official House biography, Tiffany studied agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and ran a small tourism business before entering politics. He has consistently advocated for reduced federal regulation in farming and has criticized DEI efforts while supporting a shift toward merit-based agricultural policies.

The USDA was established in 1862 and oversees food, agriculture, natural resources, and rural development. According to its official mission statement, the agency aims to provide economic opportunity and support agricultural innovation while enhancing food security. In recent years, it launched DEI programs to aid underserved farmers; however, as reported by the agency itself, many such initiatives are now being rescinded under updated federal directives.