Congress has started to vet President Joe Biden’s nominations for cabinet and other leadership positions.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) believes, “A President has the right to pick who he or she wants in his or her own cabinet, provided they are qualified and committed to following the law.” Grassley says President Biden’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, is “the right person for the job.”
“I’m hopeful that a hearing will be held on his nomination soon,” Grassley says. “Secretary Vilsack demonstrated, (for) eight years during the Obama Administration, the knowledge and ability to lead the Department. Many Ag producers have endured disruptions recently, and Iowa’s 86,000 farm families need leadership at the federal level.”
Iowa’s farm base voices a “need for a strong Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), increased transparency in cattle pricing, and support for young and beginning farmers,” during Senator Grassley’s 99 County Tour stops. Grassley hopes Vilsack can build upon former Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s efforts surrounding cattle market price transparency, and advocate for other top issues.
“One would be to make sure there are no changes to the five-year farm program (farm bill). We don’t usually change a five-year program (halfway through). I don’t want President Biden coming in and changing it because we have to have certainty for farmers,” Grassley says. “I (also) hope they will take advantage of the money we put in the last CARES Act, to reimburse biofuel producers. Then I would say, ‘speak up for free trade.’
Senator Grassley pledges to work alongside Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Iowa’s congressional delegation to “ensure Iowa farmers receive the support they need.”
