Stopping Illegal Grant Terminations (Urban Sustainability Directors Network v. USDA)
When our government agrees to provide grant funding to a farmer or nonprofit group, it should hold up its end of the bargain. But Trump’s USDA did the opposite, illegally terminating hundreds of grants to organizations across the country that counted on these funds to advance sustainability and support farmers building a fair food system. We’re suing to restore this funding.
Plaintiff groups Agroecology Commons, Oakville Bluegrass Collective, and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network all had their contracts terminated, violating their due process rights and the Administrative Procedures Act, and in the case of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, violating the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution and recent legislation. These groups were using their grants to support underserved communities and independent producers of food — and then had the rug pulled out from under them by the Trump Administration’s crusade against climate action and any work it perceives as DEIA-related. They bring this lawsuit to restore their grants and send a message: These cancellations are cruel, unjustified, and illegal.
The plaintiff groups are represented by FarmSTAND, Earthjustice, and Farmers Justice Center in this action.