Key bipartisan senators on the Senate Ag Committee want to confirm nominees for trade, food safety, and farm credit by unanimous consent next week. “I hope next week that we can get 100% of the Senate” to back the nominees, Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said at a panel hearing Thursday, citing broad bipartisan support.
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Democratic and Republican senators praised Alexis Taylor, the president’s pick for USDA’s undersecretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also said “we ought to move” her nomination next week by unanimous consent. The other two nominees are Jose Emilio Esteban, for USDA’s undersecretary for food safety, and Vincent Garfield Logan, for the Farm Credit Administration board, a three-person panel that oversees the policies of a network of rural lenders. Senators noted that the USDA trade position has been vacant for over 20 months. A Senate panel earlier this month advanced Doug McKalip for the post. “I do question if they will be receiving the support they need from the White House,” Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), the panel’s ranking member, said about the length of time it has taken to nominate and confirm Taylor and McKalip.
