Senate confirms Tom Vilsack to act again as Secretary of Agriculture

Senate confirms Tom Vilsack to act again as Secretary of Agriculture

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The vote was 92-7.

Vilsack, 70, will now be tasked with helping farmers hard hit by ex-President Donald Trump’s trade wars and the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened thousands of workers in slaughterhouses and deepened the challenges of hunger and food insecurity.

During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Vilsack made it clear that the challenges facing the Department of Agriculture are different from those of 12 years ago.

“The world and our nation are different today than when I worked as secretary of agriculture in a previous government,” said Vilsack. “Today, the pandemic, justice and racial equity and climate change must be our priorities.”

Biden announced his choice in December, praising Vilsack for his efforts to implement the Recovery Act after the Great Recession, expanding markets for farmers, improving food security standards and helping “millions of children and families to receive healthy meals”. Former President Barack Obama also chose Vilsack to tackle the scourge of heroin and other opiates in rural communities.

Biden called him “the best secretary of agriculture that I believe this country has ever had”.

Vilsack will have to overcome the caution of progressive groups that claim that Vilsack is very close to agricultural corporations. Vilsack also met opposition from civil rights groups, who criticized the dismissal of Shirley Sherrod, a black agriculture official, more than a decade ago, after Breitbart published a misleading video clip that falsely suggested she was racist. (Vilsack apologized and tried to hire her back).

Vilsack will be pressured to meet the needs of rural communities who have supported Trump instead of Biden and are concerned about Democrats passing new regulations.

Vermont independent senator Bernie Sanders joined six Republicans in voting against the nomination.

“I think we need someone a little more vigorous in terms of protecting family farming and corporate farming,” Sanders told reporters. “I think he will be fine, but not as strong as I would like.”

Vilsack and his wife Christie supported Biden during the Iowa caucuses and campaigned aggressively for him. Biden finished in fourth place, which at the time he called “a punch in the stomach”, but repeatedly expressed his gratitude to the Vilsack for their support.

In 1998, Vilsack became Iowa’s first elected Democratic governor in more than 30 years. He served as governor from 1999 to 2007 and chaired the Association of Democratic Governors for a year. In 2009, the Senate unanimously confirmed Vilsack as secretary of agriculture.

After stepping down in 2017, Vilsack became the president and CEO of the US Dairy Export Council. Last year, he won a $ 150,000 Powerball prize in the Iowa lottery.

This story was updated with further developments on Tuesday.

CNN’s Ted Barrett, Arlette Saenz and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.

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