SBA, USDA To Combat 'Regulatory Abuse' Lawfare Aimed At Farmers And Ranchers

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have signed a memorandum to counter lawfare targeting rural communities, ranchers, farmers, and small businesses.

Lawfare refers to the strategic use of legal proceedings to hinder targets. The SBA's agreement with the USDA gives producers a "direct line to report the regulations and rules driving up costs and impacting productivity," the agency said in a July 2 statement.

It also enables the SBA and the USDA to "identify broader patterns of regulatory abuse to advance lasting deregulatory reform."

The USDA will run a centralized portal that will receive lawfare complaints involving federal agencies, which will be shared with the SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman. Any complaint involving the USDA will be handled by the department, while other complaints will be referred by the SBA to the appropriate agencies.

Under the agreement, the SBA is authorized to analyze complaint data to identify recurring lawfare practices, enforcement, or regulatory issues that are assessed as abusive or disproportionate. This is expected to provide insight that would guide deregulatory action for broader reforms.

In a July 2 X post, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the agreement between the USDA and the SBA lets "produce