[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S797-S798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     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

[[Page S798]]

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.