USDA, SBA Announce Lawfare Partnership To Shield Producers, Small Businesses, Ranchers From Weoponized Regulation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On July 2, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rotlins announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to combat weaponized regulatory and enforcement actions against America's producers, ranchers, and small businesses. This partnership advances Pillar 4 of the Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework by building a government-wide shield against lawfare.

Rollins was joined by SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Special Envoy for American Landowners John Rich, Director of the Bureau of Land Management Stevan Pearce, Representative Harriet Hageman, Representative Eli Crane, and affected producers and ranchers, along with representatives from leading legal organizations including the America First Policy Institute, Institute for Justice, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Pacific Legal Foundation, American Stewards of Liberty, and Mountain States Legal Foundation.

For too long, a network of government agencies, radical environmentalist NGOs, and activist groups have targeted American farmers and ranchers. Producers have been forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, give up prime grazing land, and even sell and stop farming on generational properties. The radical environmentalism agenda has done its share of damage to America's farmers, and Secretary Rollins is leading the fight to end environmental lawfare.

'Producers and ranchers who feed this nation should never face the full power of government alone,' said Rollins. 'This partnership with the SBA creates clear pathways for redress, ensures fairness in enforcement, and demonstrates that Washington stands with, not against, the hardworking Americans who sustain our country. Through the USDA Lawfare Portal and interagency collaboration, we are delivering real protection under the Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework.”

'Farmers and ranchers do some of the hardest and most essential work in America, yet they have faced a growing burden from costly federal regulations - crushing generational businesses that lack the time, money, or legal resources to fight back,' said Loeffler. “With our MOU, the SBA and USDA now offer America's producers a direct line to report lawfare, with a new infrastructure to deliver lasting regulatory reform. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are eliminating barriers and supporting small businesses in their mission to keep America fed, clothed, and fueled.'

“For too many ranching families, lawfare has become just another cost of doing business - except it's one no hardworking producer should ever have to bear,' said Special Envoy for American Landowners John Rich. 'I’ve traveled across this country and met families who have spent years fighting bureaucrats instead of tending their cattle, working their land, or passing their operations on to the next generation. This partnership sends a clear message: the federal government is done standing on the sidelines while producers are burled in red tape and abusive enforcement. We're standing up for the people who feed America.”

“Farmers and ranchers are the foundation of a strong and thriving nation. Despite their tremendous contributions to our way of life, the federal government has too often stood by as radical environmentalists targeted these hardworking citizens. Thanks to the leadership of

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announcing partnership with SBA.

Photo courtesy of USDA