In January, there will be several changes which will impact farmers and ranchers, including leadership positions for key committees and the secretary of Agriculture. Most notably is the election by the Democratic Caucus for David Scott (D-GA-13) to lead the House Agriculture Committee, becoming the first African American to lead the committee and the first also from Georgia. Additionally, Tom Vilsack is expected to be nominated to lead the USDA after serving in the position under the Obama administration.
Other committee changes include: Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA-15) elected by the House Republican Conference as the Republican leader of the House Agriculture Committee; Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4) elected as the top Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee; and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) elected as a ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
House Ag Committee
Several agriculture groups applauded Scott’s election, stating they look forward to working with him, citing he is a strong ally to agriculture, and his work experience. Scott replaces Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN-7), who lost his reelection bid in November and served on the committee for 30 years.
Scott, who represents parts of Atlanta, has served on the Agriculture Committee since 2003 and was the committee chair for the Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit and as well as Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.
“I will use this critical opportunity to represent the values of our entire caucus and advance our priorities for trade, disaster aid, climate change, sustainable agriculture, SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] crop insurance, small family farms, specialty crops, and rural broadband,” said Scott in a statement. “The fault lines dividing our rural and urban communities are running deep, and climate change is now threatening our nation’s food supply. As chairman, I will lead the fight to rise up and meet these challenges.”
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Colin Woodall issued a statement stating Scott is a “consummate leader” and is looking forward to working with him.
“Congressman Scott is a devoted friend of America’s cattle producers, and I congratulate him on being selected by his colleagues to lead the House Agriculture Committee. His leadership and expertise on cattle issues demonstrate his commitment to helping producers succeed,” said Woodall.
The American Farm Bureau Federation and the North American Meat Institute also issued statements citing his previous work on the Agriculture Committee and a “strong ally to animal agriculture.” Both organizations look forward to working with Scott to build partnerships centered around issues such as the farm labor shortage, “bridging the digital divide,” and issues that affect the meat industry.
Additionally, agriculture groups complimented Glenn “G.T.” Thompson as the Republican leader for the House Agriculture Committee. Thompson, who was first elected to Congress in 2008, is the ranking member of the House Agriculture General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee. Thompson has worked with Scott on two previous farm bills and stated he looks forward to working with Scott. Thompson has been an advocate for forestry-related programs and getting whole milk back in schools. Michael Dykes, DVM, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, praised his appointment and stated he intends to “reach across the aisle” to pass mandatory livestock price reporting legislation.
United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) President Brooke Miller congratulated both congressmen and said she looked forward to working with both in a “bipartisan manner to advance policies that benefit U.S. cattle producers.”
Miller stated he appreciated the work Peterson did during his tenure, including working on the 2008 farm bill, which included the Livestock Title requiring country-of-origin labeling on meat products.
“We’re confident that Rep. Scott and Rep. Thompson will continue building on that foundation—strengthening protections for producers against unfair and anticompetitive market practices, establishing truthful, transparent labeling practices for beef and meat products, and ensuring national food security by ensuring the sustainability of independent producers,” said Miller in a statement.
Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of government affairs, praised the appointment of Thompson, stating cattle producers in Pennsylvania and across the country are well represented “from his long-standing track record of bipartisan legislative victories to his work mentoring the next generation of agriculture leaders.”
The California Farm Bureau—which had been pushing for Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-20) to lead the Agriculture Committee—congratulated the new leadership, stating they look forward to working towards “our common goal of strengthening American agriculture.”
Tom Vilsack
Before WLJ press time, Politico reported President-elect Joe Biden was expected to nominate Tom Vilsack to be the secretary of Agriculture, according to three people familiar with the decision. Vilsack—former governor of Iowa—advised the Biden campaign on rural and agriculture issues, including ways for farmers and ranchers to fight climate change.
Since leaving his position as secretary of Agriculture under the Obama administration, Vilsack has led the U.S. Dairy Export Council.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told reporters he liked what Vilsack “did as secretary of Agriculture for eight years and if he was in for another four years it’d be OK with me.” Politico reported the senator also offered to speak on behalf of Vilsack during confirmation proceedings.
Axios stated the nomination will “likely rankle the left flank of the green movement.” Friends of the Earth expressed they were “deeply disappointed” with the choice saying, “In order to implement Biden’s climate and racial justice agenda, Vilsack must be willing to transform the USDA to support a more diversified, regenerative, healthy and just food system.”
While campaigning, then-Vice President Biden said climate change was a major issue and that agriculture could be part of the solution, stating on his platform to invest in practices that store carbon dioxide in the soil. The Climate 21 project submitted to him in November recommended USDA should establish a carbon bank paying farmers and ranchers through the Commodity Credit Corporation to sequester carbon. Politico reported that agriculture groups “are starting to warm up to policies” that give incentives to store carbon in their soil.
Bruce Westerman
Rep. Westerman—a Yale graduate in forestry with a bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Arkansas—was elected to Congress in 2014. Westerman introduced the Resilient Forest Act of 2017 and was the Trillion Trees Act sponsor, which seeks to plant 3.3 billion trees for the next 30 years.
“I believe Arkansas will continue to be a great example of natural resources issues, showing the world how we can have a strong economy and a healthy environment at the same time,” Westerman said in a statement to The Hill. “Conservatives have a rich history of conservation, and I look forward to leading this committee with market-based, proactive environmental solutions.”
NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover congratulated Westerman, stressing his forestry background and knowledge of public land issues will benefit livestock producers.
“He knows that ranchers and farmers are good stewards of our nation’s resources and he knows how important it is that these farmers and ranchers are involved in the policy-making process. We are thrilled to continue working with him as he steps into this new leadership role,” said Glover in a statement.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Rep. McMorris Rodgers, who was elected to the House in 2005, is a longtime Energy and Commerce Committee member and has advocated for the expansion of hydropower—which accounts for more than two-thirds of all electricity generation in Washington—and free-market solutions to climate change. She will replace Ranking Member Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR-2) who will retire from the House at the end of 2020.
Walden congratulated McMorris Rodgers, stating she is “uniquely qualified” for the role as she is “a battle-tested leader who has proven her ability to message some of the most challenging issues of our time in a way that resonates with Americans all across the country.”
Politico reported McMorris Rodgers wrote in a 2019 op-ed for Fox News regarding climate change, saying it “won’t come from one single piece of legislation, but from many free-market solutions,” and the issue should “no longer be partisan—or generational.”
“My goal is to maximize Energy and Commerce, so House Republicans win the majority and secure America’s future global leadership as the best place in the world to usher in a new era of innovation, cure diseases, and raise people’s standard of living,” McMorris Rodgers said in a statement.
NCBA and PLC praised her appointment, citing her background in agriculture and support of the cattle industry “gives her a prime opportunity to lead the development of meaningful solutions.”
“Her understanding of sustainability, environmental stewardship, and free enterprise will serve her well as ranking member and we are eager to work with her in the 117th Congress,” Lane said.
Despite the changes in GOP committee leadership, the same Democrats will continue to lead the House Energy and Natural Resource Committees. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) was reelected to the Energy and Commerce Committee, while Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-3) is unopposed in his bid to again lead the House Natural Resources Committee. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
