Still No One Nominated For Secretary Of Agriculture; Potentials The Usual Right-Wing Clowns
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During a campaign trip to Iowa in August, Trump declared that “family farms are the backbone of this country,” and promised to “end this war on the American farmer.” But now, even current USDA chief Tom Vilsack is worried Trump may have forgotten about the department. “The person in charge of this department has some responsibility of ensuring that this country gets fed, that its environment — private working lands and public forests and grasslands — are protected,” Vilsack told E&E News this week. “Well, golly, that’s pretty significant.” Vilsack announced Friday that he was leaving the department, effective immediately.
USDA has a $140 billion annual budget, manages 193 million acres of forests and grasslands, and employs over 100,000 people. The department is responsible for supporting the nation’s farmers and agricultural commodity markets, investing in soil conservation and water quality, managing the millions of acres of National Forests, and overseeing food assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Despite these responsibilities, Trump’s Transition team has been quiet on the future of this office.
The delay in naming an agriculture secretary is an anomaly in recent history. A USDA nominee has not been announced after December 24 since at least 1980. Given the critical role for farmers and child nutrition, the position has historically been announced more quickly following an election. President Obama nominated former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack on December 17, 2008, and President George W. Bush announced attorney and former California Sec. on Food & Agriculture Ann Veneman as his nominee on December 20, 2000.
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Thus far, the names floated for the secretary post have changed on almost a weekly basis. Sonny Perdue, former Georgia governor who is also a veterinarian; “Butch” Otter of Idaho; Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who has received significant attention for remarks about Sec. Clinton and his campaign to return deep fryers and soda machines to public schools; and former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, a son of immigrants and farmer on the Central Coast who is currently engaged in a labor dispute with former employees, have all been rumored to be picks.
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https://thinkprogress.org/trump-is-already-forgetting-americas-farmers-8a849752cff9#.7dk8l36pe
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