Investigate Midwest has sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court over a 14-month delay in producing email records related to the agency’s work to cut thousands of staff members and numerous programs last year.
In February 2025, Investigate Midwest requested all email correspondence involving Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that included references to Elon Musk, DOGE and DEI, which is short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Investigate Midwest has closely covered the Trump Administration’s reduction of USDA employees and grant programs, which was largely led by the Department of Government Efficiency.
In March 2025, the USDA said the records had been collected and were in “final review.”
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After more than a year of delays in turning over the documents, Investigate Midwest consulted the Reporters’ Committee for the Freedom of the Press, which connects news organizations with lawyers. The Free Information Group, a Washington-based law firm, agreed to take up the case.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in the Washington, D.C., federal court.
“Changes within the USDA during the first months of the new Trump administration were an important focus for Investigate Midwest, as we not only serve as a watchdog for the nation’s food industry, but also millions of farmers and ranchers,” said Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest editor in chief. “These records are critical for the public to better understand why millions in grant funds for agriculture producers have been cut, and why thousands of USDA employees were let go.”
Last year, Investigate Midwest’s Sky Chadde wrote a series of stories exploring USDA cuts.
One story explored how the loss of staff and scientific research was seen by many experts as a threat to the nation’s food system, contributing to unsafe food for consumers, more invasive and economically damaging pests for farmers, and an agriculture industry forced to adapt to climate change with less scientific insight.
Another story showed that the USDA’s attempt to end programs focused on diversity led to the loss of funding for programs that helped low-income communities access fruits and vegetables.
‘Farming in the dark’: Brooke Rollins’ leadership, DOGE’s grip and the cost to American agriculture
USDA’s DEI Purge: How Trump and Rollins are reshaping American agriculture
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