Black farmers’ settlement withheld … again

It’s been 11 years and the nation’s black farmers have still not received the nearly $1.25 billion settlement they were promised by the Agriculture Department. The Senate was expected to approve the measure before the start of recess last Thursday, but Republicans put the brakes on the vote after citing concerns that Democrats had not outlined a plan to pay for the settlement.

According to the National Black Farmers Association, it was the seventh attempt by the Senate to approve the funds in recent weeks. The settlement dates back to a case started in 1997 in which a federal judge ruled that qualified farmers could each receive $50,000 to settle claims of racial bias. Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich has been following this story.