executive Calendar--Continued

Floor Speech

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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.

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.

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