The Agriculture Department is a step closer to getting three new undersecretaries after the GOP-controlled Senate voted Wednesday to advance the first package of nominees under a new fast-track process Republicans are employing to break a Democratic logjam.
The three USDA nominees in the package of 48 are Richard Fordyce to be undersecretary for farm production and conservation, Dudley Hoskins to be undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, and Scott Hutchins to be undersecretary for research, education and economics.
A final vote on the 48 sub-Cabinet nominees could come Thursday after the Senate voted 52-47 to limit debate on the package.
rate of farmers now exceeding that of combat veterans.
Cut through the clutter! We deliver the news you need to stay informed about farm, food and rural issues. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse here.
“We've got a lot of work to do in farm country right now,” Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., told Agri-Pulse as he headed to one of a series of procedural votes on the nominations. USDA needs to “have the people in place ... that should be making some really important decisions. So, the fact that we’re staffing up is a really good thing,” he added.
Fordyce would immediately have the responsibility of overseeing implementation of changes to commodity programs and crop insurance authorized by provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted in July. The provisions include an expansion of base acres eligible for commodity program payments.
Hoskins’ immediate tasks would include overseeing the response to the New World screwworm outbreak in Mexico. The suspension of Mexican cattle imports continues to keep pressure on U.S. cattle and beef prices.
Republicans had grown increasingly frustrated that relatively noncontroversial nominees couldn’t be approved on a fast-track basis under Senate rules and on Monday voted to change the rules to allow nominations to be considered as a group.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., defended the Democratic effort to slow down nominations, saying President Donald Trump’s were particularly poor.
Republicans know that a Democratic president could benefit from the rules change in the future.
“We've worked really hard to make sure that any changes we've made, we're going to have to live with when we're in the minority,” said Senate Ag member John Hoeven, R-N.D.
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
