The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee says it is essential to have a strong leader at the head of USDA as the next Congress works on the 2018 farm bill.
Texas Republican Mike Conaway says getting someone that the industry can work with is important.
“In my role trying to shepherd that new bill across,” he says. “That’s part of why I am really comfortable promoting Susan Combs.”
He says former Texas comptroller Susan Combs would be a great addition to President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet.
“She brings that blend of having grown up in production agriculture on the cattle side as well as an administrative kind-of experience – running agencies and looking for ways to do things more efficiently,” he says. “She demonstrated those skills as comptroller that I think would be important to bring to the table.”
Conaway says he’s not concerned that the appointment has taken this long.
“Nobody gets to take office until President-elect Trump does on Jan. 20,” he says. “So getting it done in advance of the confirmation hearings in the Senate would be important. If we were in February or March and still didn’t have anybody – yeah – that would be a big concern.”
In addition to Secretary of Agriculture, Trump has yet to name the next US Trade Representative.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com