Vilsack wins praise in return to lead USDA

Tom Vilsack will easily be confirmed as the Agriculture Secretary by the full Senate by Feb. 4 after the Senate Agriculture Committee gave him unanimous support on Feb. 2. 

Vilsack told the Senate Agriculture Committee that, under his leadership, the U.S. Department of Agriculture “will lead the federal government in building and maintaining new markets in America that diversify rural economies; producing healthy, local and regional foods; investing in renewable energy; creating a thriving biobased manufacturing sector; embracing sustainable and regenerative practices that enhance soil health; and delivering science-based solutions to help mitigate and reduce climate change.”

Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of the United Fresh Produce Association, said in a statement that  Vilsack has the experience needed to lead the agency and what is necessary to “maintain and build a healthy fresh fruit and vegetable industry.”

“Secretary Vilsack clearly recognized in his opening statement to the committee the critical need to focus on both food insecurity and nutrition insecurity at the forefront of the challenges our nation is facing,” Stenzel said in the statement. “We also know that he will continue to support efforts to secure a legal and stable workforce for agriculture, including legal status for today’s workers and a well-functioning future foreign guest worker program.”

Vilsack also won support from the nutrition community.

“Tom Vilsack is a capable and clear choice to serve as the nation’s next Agriculture Secretary, and the WIC community is excited to see his continued leadership that squarely focuses on expanding access to nutritious foods and addressing systemic racial inequities,” Douglas Greenaway, president and CEO of the National WIC Association, said in a statement.

Greenaway said Vilsack’s discussion of nutrition insecurity complements WIC’s decades-long work to advance healthier options for families, resulting in reduced prevalence of childhood obesity among WIC-enrolled toddlers.

“In early steps, the Biden-Harris USDA has taken swift steps to improve the federal response to COVID-19 and advance health equity,” Greenaway said in the statement. “We are encouraged by the President’s proposed $3 billion investment in WIC, the elevation of the Office of Tribal Relations as a direct report to the Secretary, and the executive order to expand benefits in SNAP and Pandemic-EBT.”