WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Agriculture Committee held its confirmation hearing for Tom Vilsack, President Biden’s nominee to lead the US Department of Agriculture.
Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter released the following statement:
“In Tom Vilsack’s previous stint as head of the Agriculture Department, the USDA backed corporate consolidation across the food industry and neglected the needs of struggling family farmers. He literally cashed in after leaving office, becoming a high paid lobbyist for the mega dairy industry. There is absolutely no doubt about his record, and no reason to believe that the second time around things will be any different.
“The USDA needs to chart a new course that protects independent farmers, dismantles corporate power over the food industry, stops the expansion of polluting factory farms, and institutes bold policies to tackle the agriculture industry’s contributions to the climate crisis. Tom Vilsack does not appear to be up to these critical challenges.”
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
