The Senate confirmed Stephen Vaden as deputy agriculture secretary in a party-line vote Tuesday.
Vaden, whose nomination was approved 51-44, has been a judge on the Court of International Trade since serving in the first Trump administration as USDA’s general counsel. Now as deputy secretary, Vaden will be responsible for the day-to-day operations at the agency under Secretary Brooke Rollins.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee, Vaden said USDA would advocate for removing trade barriers to farm exports through the administration’s broader tariff negotiations.
Ahead of the Senate vote, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., said Vaden brings a “deep understanding” of rural America, citing his family’s farming operations in Kentucky and Tennessee.
“That first-hand knowledge combined with his experience in ag policy makes him uniquely qualified to serve,” Boozman said on the Senate floor.
Also on Tuesday, the Agriculture Committee held a confirmation hearing to discuss Brian Quintenz's nomination to serve as chair and commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Quintenz previously served on the commission under the first Trump administration. Before that, he worked as an aide on Capitol Hill.
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