Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha joined 21 other states Monday in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over an “unprecedented demand” for sensitive personal information of food assistance recipients.

In doing so, the USDA is further scaling back its efforts to address a long history of discrimination against Black and other minority farmers. Instead, under the Trump administration, the government is declaring that it has done enough to respond to discrimination.

Moving the Agriculture Department from Washington to regional hubs is part of Trump's effort to cut the size and footprint of the federal government.

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent As the Trump administration moves to eliminate key diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) protections at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Texas will become the seventh state to ban the production and sale of lab-grown meat in September. Florida was the first, followed by Alabama last year. This year, five more states, including Texas, followed.

During Trump's first administration, the USDA in 2019 moved two offices to Kansas City, triggering a mass exodus of government workers and a drop in productivity.

Indianapolis will soon serve as one of five U.S. Department of Agriculture hubs as the federal agency reduces and reorganizes its workforce under President Donald Trump's administration, the USDA announced July 24.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture terminated the Regional Food Business Centers program, which provided grant funding to Kansas farms and businesses.