U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, hosted Charles and Heather Maude, South Dakota farmers and ranchers, at the USDA headquarters on April 30, following the Trump administration’s decision to drop criminal charges against their family.
The unexpected legal battle began when the Maude family learned from the United States Forest Service that their property fencing inhibited access to the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. In good faith, they agreed to a property line survey, but the situation escalated under the Biden administration.
What started as a simple civil dispute over 25 acres of federal land quickly transformed into a costly criminal prosecution that had significant impacts on the Maude family’s lives.
Under Rollins’ leadership, the USDA has launched a new web portal, usda.gov/lawfare, aimed at assisting potential victims of “lawfare” that reportedly began under the current administration. This platform is designed for individuals to share their concerns and experiences with the government.
Rollins stated, “President Trump is directing his cabinet to ensure no citizen of this country is unfairly targeted on politically motivated witch hunts. That is what happened to the Maudes, and I am working to ensure no farmer, rancher, or customer who works with USDA will ever endure baseless political persecution.”
Her team is focused on addressing the repercussions of the situation promptly while encouraging others facing similar issues to utilize the new site.
Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, praised the Maude family’s resilience throughout their ordeal.
“South Dakota’s motto has always been ‘Under God, the people rule,’” Noem remarked. “The power was given in our Constitution to the people, and we should always respect that. Many wrongs done under the last administration can be fixed, and are being fixed every day.”
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden further emphasized the personal relevance of the situation, noting his own ranch is located just 70 miles from the Maudes’.
“The Maude family has been put through hell by an overreaching federal government,” he declared. “I am honored to have played a part alongside Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration to restore sanity, fairness, and justice.”
Senator Mike Rounds also echoed sentiments of relief as he welcomed the positive resolution to the incident.
“I am happy to see we have finally reached a positive resolution, but this massive government overreach from the Biden administration should have never happened in the first place,” Rounds stated. “We must continue our work to stop this from ever happening again.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman of Wyoming expressed hopes that the leadership of President Trump and his administration, Rollins, and Attorney General Pam Biondi will help the government serve the people, rather than work against them.
“The case against the Maudes is a glaring example of the dangers of unelected bureaucrats with far too much power weaponizing the full force of the federal government in an unconstitutional effort to make felons out of farmers,” she asserted. “Sadly, this type of behavior was commonplace during the past four years, but President Trump knows firsthand the catastrophic implications of lawfare imposed by an overreaching government. The dismissal of this case shows that ‘business as usual’ is no more.”
image source from：https://hpj.com/2025/05/01/maude-family-hosted-by-u-s-secretary-of-ag-in-washington/
