All posts tagged: USDA

The USDA secretary is a dangerous religious zealot like Pete Hegseth

The USDA secretary is a dangerous religious zealot like Pete Hegseth

Published by Sam Flores

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins isn’t as dramatic with religious theatrics as some of her colleagues in Donald Trump’s Cabinet, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but that shouldn’t fool anyone. A recent lawsuit from staff members alleges that Rollins has been “promoting her own preferred brand of Christian beliefs and theology to the captive audience of employees,” largely through proselytizing emails sent to the whole staff at the USDA, which make them “fear the negative consequences of not sharing the Secretary’s religion.” The details in the lawsuit reveal that the former Cotton Bowl Queen is just as committed a Christian nationalist as the more belligerent Hegseth. That might seem like a bold claim at first blush. Hegseth has drawn attention for his aggressive, even violent rhetoric that treats Christianity as a war-mongering faith focused more on punishing non-believers than the more Jesus-like aspirations of love and charity. The defense secretary is so devoted to reimagining Jesus as a vengeful prophet that he got caught giving a sermon-like speech in which he appeared to pass off dialogue …

The US Built a Site to Ensure Fair Access to Public Lands. Then Everything Went Wrong

The US Built a Site to Ensure Fair Access to Public Lands. Then Everything Went Wrong

Published by skeptic

We do know that Booz Allen Hamilton is making much more money than it originally projected. In the contract, the company estimated that it would make $87 million in the first five years, and a total of about $182 million over 10 years if the contract was extended, which it has been. According to their invoices, Booz Allen Hamilton billed for more than $140 million in the first four years of the contract. The Forest Service didn’t return our FOIA request for more recent numbers, but one analyst, Canadian sales strategist Blair Enns, projected that they could make $620 million by the time their contract expires in September 2028. The uptick in traffic is one reason for that. But the model has also changed since 2016. That year there were less than 3 million reservations through the site; in 2023 there were roughly 9 million. BAH says there are now 5,800 facilities and more than 128,000 sites and activities to reserve. More facilities have shifted to using Rec.gov’s system, and things that were free, or …

Federal employees sue USDA secretary over Christian messaging

Federal employees sue USDA secretary over Christian messaging

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Federal employees are suing Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, arguing that her use of Christian messaging in the workplace is “unconstitutionally coercive.” The lawsuit, filed Wednesday (May 13) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, said Rollins “has adopted a practice of sending increasingly proselytizing communications to the entire USDA workforce, promoting her own preferred brand of Christian beliefs and theology to the captive audience of employees that report to her.” The complaint was filed by the advocacy groups Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Democracy Forward Foundation and the California-based firm Bryan Schwartz Law on behalf of the National Federation of Federal Employees and seven named plaintiffs of a variety of faiths and no faith — including Jewish, Buddhist, pagan and atheist employees of the USDA, according to the lawsuit. The union of more than 110,000 federal workers — including more than 19,000 USDA staffers — and the individuals charge that Rollins’ actions do not reflect the secular mission of …

Federal employees sue USDA secretary over Christian messaging

When Trump plays favorites with faith, we all pay the price

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Most people have seen President Donald Trump’s AI-generated image of himself as Jesus. What they may not know is that on Easter Sunday, Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture, sent an email to each of her nearly 100,000 agency employees, characterizing our country as a Christian nation. The Easter-themed email declared “He is Risen indeed!” and described the resurrection as the “foundation of our faith.” Rollins shattered even the pretense of separation of church and state, violating one of the most important of our constitutional protections and one of the central foundations of our nation and governance. Through her words, she created division among USDA staff, who have expressed shock and dismay at this blatant display of proselytizing. These efforts to shatter the walls between church and state aren’t any sort of secret: They’re being done right out in the open. In just a few weeks, seemingly the entire Trump administration will join what appears to be a government-sanctioned faith rally, which of course is populated almost entirely by conservative Christians. If there …

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins sent staff Easter email about Jesus, God

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins sent staff Easter email about Jesus, God

Published by Sam Flores

Brooke Rollins, US agriculture secretary, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, March 27, 2026. Aaron Schwartz | Sipa | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent USDA staff an Easter email that emphasized the story of Jesus being crucified and resurrected, a message that some Christians said alienated them for its overt religiosity. “Happy Easter — He is Risen indeed,” Rollins wrote in the email sent on Good Friday, which CNBC has reviewed and was first to report. “From the foot of the Cross on Good Friday to the stone rolled away from the now empty tomb, sin has been destroyed,” Rollins wrote. “Jesus has been raised from the dead. And God has granted each of us victory and new life. And where there is life — risen life — there is hope.” The email included an illustration of a round stone rolled away from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb, with the words “Christ is Risen” written above the image. …

Food stamp recipients sue USDA over restrictions on candy, energy drinks

Food stamp recipients sue USDA over restrictions on candy, energy drinks

Published by Sam Flores

Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday, challenging its food restriction waivers that reduce the types of foods that can be purchased with benefits. Represented by the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ), a nonprofit focused on advancing justice for… Source link

USDA Suspends All Payments To Minnesota’s Food Programs Over Suspected Fraud

USDA Suspends All Payments To Minnesota’s Food Programs Over Suspected Fraud

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suspended payments for all federal food programs in Minnesota and Minneapolis Friday over alleged fraud and abuse of federal funds statewide. “Enough is enough!” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X, announcing the suspension. “The Trump administration has uncovered massive fraud in Minnesota and Minneapolis—billions siphoned off by fraudsters. And those in charge have zero plan to fix it.” The agency plans to suspend all payments of federal financial awards to the state and city—totalling about $130 million—until state and local officials provide documentation detailing expenditures and transactions for the past year, Rollins said. More than 440,000 people—about one in 13 residents—receive monthly assistance from the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. SNAP uses around three-fourths of the federal funding for food-related programs and about 7 percent of all federal funding for the state, the agency reported. In all, Minnesota received an estimated $2.05 billion in federal funds for 52 …

USDA Details Billion Farm Aid Package Favoring Rice, Cotton; Soy Farmers Warn of Strain

USDA Details $12 Billion Farm Aid Package Favoring Rice, Cotton; Soy Farmers Warn of Strain

Published by Sam Flores

By P.J. Huffstutter and Julie Ingwersen CHICAGO, Dec 31 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department ‌of ​Agriculture released details on Wednesday about how ‌much row crop farmers will receive next year from a $12 billion aid program, but ​soybean growers say such payments fall short of helping those hurt by low crop prices and trade disputes. The Farmer Bridge Assistance program is ‍expected to distribute $11 billion in one-time payments ​to farmers, who will be paid on a per-acre rate if they planted one of the 19 commodity crops identified as ​being eligible for ⁠the program, USDA said in a statement on Wednesday. U.S. farmers produced massive corn and soybean harvests this fall amid a global glut of grain, and lost billions of dollars amid falling crop prices. Soybean farmers were particularly hard hit by the loss of soybean sales to China, by far the world’s top buyer, when it turned to South American suppliers during ‌stalled trade talks. While the aid is expected to help farmers prepare for the next planting season, growers and agricultural ​economists …