USDA nominee tells Senate committee first priorities: disaster aid, animal disease response, modernization

A nominee for secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, identified in the hearing transcript as the nominee and serving as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, told the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry that her top priorities if confirmed are rapid disaster and economic assistance deployment, confronting animal disease outbreaks, modernizing the department and supporting rural communities.

The nominee told the committee: "We must ensure that the disaster and economic assistance authorized by congress is deployed as quickly and as efficiently as possible." She added, "we must work ... to immediately and comprehensively get a handle on the state of animal disease outbreaks." The remarks came during her five-minute opening statement after taking an oath administered by Chairman Bozeman.

Why it matters: the person who leads USDA sets federal policy and administration for farm support programs, nutrition assistance, rural development and animal health oversight. The nominee framed early priorities that would affect disaster relief timelines, disease-response coordination and rules governing farm and nutrition programs.

In her statement the nominee recounted her background in rural Texas and in policy roles, including work with a state governor, a Texas policy organization, positions in the White House Office of American Innovation and roles leading domestic policy efforts. She said she currently serves as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, and that her career gave her experience she would draw on if confirmed.

She listed four immediate or near-term priorities:

- Rapidly deploying disaster and economic assistance authorized by Congress.

- Working with USDA staff, stakeholders and state leaders to address animal disease outbreaks.

- "Immediately begin to modernize, realign, rethink the United States Department of Agriculture" to respond to public needs as articulated by the president.

- Supporting longer-term rural prosperity by exploring improvements to rural development programs, strengthening domestic and export markets, reducing regulatory burdens that "hamper innovation," ensuring effective and efficient nutrition programs, and cultivating the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

She also told the committee she would provide technical assistance for the farm bill, saying she is "dedicated and committed to providing all of you with the timely technical assistance that we will need to ensure that we have a farm bill that moves forward."

The committee chair administered the oath before the opening statement; the nominee responded "I do" when asked to swear or affirm that her statement would be truthful and also affirmed that she would respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee if confirmed.

The opening statement included personal background and references to family, agricultural education and prior public-policy roles; she thanked President Donald J. Trump for his confidence in her nomination and thanked Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz for introductions mentioned in the transcript.

No committee vote or formal confirmation action is recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The hearing excerpt covered the oath and a five-minute opening statement; follow-up questioning or any committee action was not included in the supplied transcript.

The committee recognized the nominee for the opening statement at the conclusion of the oath administered by Chairman Bozeman.