Almost a year has passed since the government approved the aid as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package President Biden signed in March, but the minority farmers the money was intended to help have been shut out from receiving the relief as it remains tied up in court battles, The Hill reported. John Boyd Jr., a civil rights advocate and fourth-generation farmer, has been applying pressure to lawmakers and the administration to get the $4 billion in stalled aid for socially disadvantaged farmers released. A Virginia-based farmer and president of the thousands-strong National Black Farmers Association, he told The Hill in a recent interview he’s been filing amicus briefs in different courts across the country. “It's a do-or-die for a guy who owes a couple hundred thousand dollars to the government,” said Boyd, who added he’s also been reaching out to members who helped draft the legislation for assistance in tackling the issue. The White House did not return a request for comment from The Hill, while a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a statement that it "continues to work closely with the Department of Justice to vigorously defend" the funding allocation.
