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“EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued” mentioning Debbie Stabenow was published in the Senate section on pages S797-S798 on Feb. 23.
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The publication is reproduced in full below:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the nomination.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Thomas J. Vilsack, of Iowa, to be Secretary of Agriculture.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 20 minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees.
The Senator from Michigan.
Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I am very pleased today to rise to support the nomination of our former Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. We are very lucky that he is willing to serve again. He is certainly no stranger to all of us, and we are very fortunate that he is willing to once again be part of public service. In serving as Agriculture Secretary during all 8 years of the Obama administration, Secretary Vilsack presided over the USDA with decisive, effective leadership. It was a pleasure to work with him.
The Agriculture Committee held a bipartisan hearing earlier this month, and mere hours later, we voted to advance his nomination without any objection. His deep knowledge of agriculture and rural America is needed now more than ever, for our farmers, our families, and our rural communities have so many challenges right now.
The COVID-19 crisis is continuing to disrupt our food supply chain for farmers, food processors, and essential workers. Tens of millions of families still don't have enough to eat and are lining up at food banks in order to put food on the table. The climate crisis is posing an extremely grave threat to the long-term viability of our economy and our food supply. Farmers of color, who have long faced civil rights abuses and systemic racism, continue to experience economic disparities.
On top of all of this, there is a lot of work to be done to rebuild the USDA workforce so that the Department can fulfill its very important mission.
American farmers, families, and rural communities need strong, effective leadership now more than ever. When it comes to strengthening our food and farm economy, I am very confident that soon-to-be-
confirmed Secretary Tom Vilsack will be more than up to the task. He has a proven track record and will embrace new ideas in a new era at the Department.
I know he is committed to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, and I know he is committed to focusing on feeding our families in need. We have more than 50 million Americans today who are in a hunger crisis, themselves and their families. I know he cares deeply and is committed to making sure they are able to feed their families.
I know he is very focused on tackling the climate crisis and has done a lot of work, since leaving as the Secretary of Agriculture a few years ago, focusing on voluntary, producer-led, farmer-friendly efforts that can make a real difference and allow agriculture to lead in addressing the climate crisis.
I also know he is very focused and committed on addressing the racial discrimination that we have seen systemically over the years in agriculture and addressing those issues in a very fair and equitable way. I look forward to partnering with him on these issues.
Senator Boozman and I enjoyed our first hearing, which was his confirmation hearing. I look forward to partnering with Senator Boozman and our entire committee to be able to move forward on a whole range of issues that are important for all of us, for everybody in our country. To do that, we need a great partner and an effective partner in the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, and I know with great confidence that this person is Tom Vilsack.
I yield the floor
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, as the United States is facing its worst hunger crisis since the Great Depression and family farms are struggling, President Biden has nominated Thomas Vilsack to reprise his role as Secretary of Agriculture and capably steward the Department to address these critical needs and support our rural communities.
Mr. Vilsack served as Agriculture Secretary for all 8 years of the Obama administration, overseeing investments in rural communities, healthier school meals, and better food safety standards. He also chaired the first White House Rural Council, which streamlined the effectiveness of Federal programs serving rural America, engaged stakeholders on issues and solutions in rural communities, and promoted and coordinated private-sector partnerships in those communities.
Our agricultural landscape has changed over the last 4 years, and we must accelerate our transition to net-zero agriculture by incentivizing practices like crop-covering and carbon sequestration. Agricultural conservation practices are also critical for achieving the pollution-
reduction targets for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment under the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. I look forward to working closely with Mr. Vilsack to advance our climate goals.
Additionally, as communities of color experience disproportionate economic hardships as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in addition to decades of discrimination within USDA, I will hold Mr. Vilsack to his promise to ``fully deeply and completely address[ing] inequities'' within the department and show ``zero tolerance for discrimination.''
Thomas Vilsack has the experience and insight to provide immediate relief to our struggling farmers, families, and rural communities. For these reasons, I support his nomination for Secretary of Agriculture.
Ms. STABENOW. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, it is a real honor to be down here with my friend and the chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, Senator Stabenow, and I appreciate her cooperation in working so very hard and providing the leadership to get Secretary Vilsack confirmed.
The nomination hearing was held a few weeks ago by the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to vet the former Secretary and now future Secretary Vilsack. The timing was unusual, but it displayed the bipartisan nature of the committee. The committee was not officially organized, so the chairwoman and I, because we didn't want to set a precedent and didn't have any precedent in that situation, led the hearing together. I trust, in going forward, that the chairwoman will continue to work with me and our minority members on the committee to assist the Agriculture Committee in a truly bipartisan way. We have the example of her and Senator Roberts in the great job that they did in working as a team.
Secretary Vilsack is no stranger to the Department of Agriculture, in having served as the Secretary from 2009 through 2017. He has an excellent reputation of putting rural America at the top of his agenda. I am a strong believer that past performance is indicative of future performance, so I am confident that Secretary Vilsack will be successful this go-around.
I look forward to strengthening my working relationship with the Secretary so we can find success in supporting those who work at the Department and assisting those whom the Department serves. Whether that success is borne from the Secretary's utilizing existing authorities or through new legislation, I trust that the Secretary will work with Congress as the agriculture community tackles new and existing challenges and works to build on countless past successes.
The Department must continue to work with all producers in order to provide them with certainty and with predictability. Farmers and ranchers find themselves in a curious position and curious times in battling COVID, natural disasters, and turning the tide of a few tumultuous trade seasons. The Secretary must ensure that this administration works with producers of all regions and all commodities and that the Department does not make the hard work of farmers and ranchers more difficult by throwing up obstacles as opposed to opening doors of opportunity.
I look forward to Secretary Vilsack's coming back to the committee in a few weeks to discuss his plans in depth for the Department as was agreed to at his hearing. I believe the discussion will help the committee have a clearer picture of the Department and the work that lays before us. I will be voting to confirm Tom Vilsack, former Secretary and future Secretary. I urge others to do so as well.
Again, thank you to the chairwoman for her collegiality and cooperation.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the remaining time be yielded back.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
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