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Senate Agriculture Committee hears Devin Westhill on enforcing civil rights at USDA
Summary
Devin Westhill, nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at USDA, told the Senate Agriculture Committee he would prioritize complaint processing, proactive prevention and enforcement of civil rights across USDA programs; senators pressed him about historic discrimination and program access for underserved farmers.
Devin Westhill, nominee for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry that, if confirmed, he would focus on timely complaint processing, prevention measures and vigorous enforcement of civil‑rights protections across USDA.
Westhill said he previously served in the role during the prior administration and described improvements made then to complaint timeliness and EEO (equal employment opportunity) metrics. “What we have to do is ensure...that its core complaint processing work is going well,” he said, adding that his prior team reduced investigative backlogs and implemented department‑wide civil‑rights and anti‑harassment policies.
Why it matters: Senators pressed Westhill on USDA’s history of…
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