WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Small Business Administration created a formal complaint process for farmers, ranchers and small businesses challenging federal enforcement actions, expanding the Trump administration’s effort to identify regulatory patterns it says warrant broader deregulation.
The memorandum of understanding links the USDA Lawfare Portal with the SBA Office of the National Ombudsman, allowing complaints involving other federal agencies to be routed, reviewed and coordinated through a shared process.
The agreement also allows USDA and SBA to analyze complaint data for recurring enforcement or regulatory issues that could support policy changes across agencies.
“Producers and ranchers who feed this nation should never face the full power of government alone,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the agreement gives producers “a direct line to report lawfare” and creates infrastructure for regulatory reform.
The agencies framed the partnership as part of USDA’s Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework, an administration initiative focused on challenging what it describes as abusive or disproportionate enforcement against rural businesses and agricultural producers.
The effort includes coordination with other federal agencies, including the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department.
USDA cited several cases it says reflect the need for the program, including disputes involving grazing access, farmland preservation, environmental enforcement, federal land management and renewable-energy development on agricultural land.
The department also pointed to 73 deregulatory actions in fiscal 2025 that it says generated about $136 million in cost savings.
The event included Rollins, Loeffler, Special Envoy for American Landowners John Rich, Bureau of Land Management Director Stevan Pearce, members of Congress and affected producers and ranchers.
The initiative underscores the administration’s broader push to use interagency coordination and complaint data to challenge regulatory actions affecting farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses.
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