Hearings to examine the nominations of Stephen Vaden, of Tennessee, to be Deputy Secretary, and Tyler Clarkson, of Virginia, to be General Counsel, both of the Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
2025-04-08
Source: Congress.gov
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Transcript
Good morning and welcome. It's my privilege to call this hearing to order. Today we will consider the nominations of Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden to be Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture and Mr. Tyler Clarkson to be General Counsel of the United States Department of Agriculture. We welcome both of you to the committee and congratulate you on your nominations. You have been nominated at a very challenging time for rural America. This committee has examined the challenges facing our country's hardworking farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses. We've heard how they are struggling to keep up, let alone make a profit in this current economic climate. Farmers everywhere are losing money on every acre that they cultivate. Furthermore, while the president has imposed tariffs designed to address unfair practices and market manipulation by our trading partners to level the playing field, it remains to be seen how these will impact agriculture, causing much unease. Beyond the economic uncertainty our farmers and ranchers are experiencing, our producers want to know that USDA is in their corner advocating for their needs. I was pleased to see USDA quickly distribute the economic assistance Congress approved at the end of last year. And while implementation has gone relatively smoothly, we continue to be in contact with the department to make sure implementation of the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program is following congressional intent. And we're pleased to have the Secretary with us today. And thank you so much for being here. And we do appreciate your hard work in doing a good job of getting the economic assistance out. I'm confident that Judge Vaden and Mr. Clarkson will help ensure careful and deliberate decisions are made regarding vital USDA programs. They both bring impressive legal backgrounds and USDA experience that will serve Secretary Rollins and our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities
Well, Judge Vaden, whose family's farmed in Tennessee and Kentucky since the 1800s, has a legal background that spans the private sector, USDA, and the federal bench. His understanding of agriculture, the law, and USDA will serve him well as he is tasked with managing the day-to-day operations of the department. Mr. Clarkson, having previously served as Deputy General Counsel, Principal Deputy General Counsel, and acting... General counsel at USDA is well prepared, it should be from all of that, to serve as the department's general counsel. As general counsel, Mr. Clarkson will be tasked with providing legal advice to Secretary Rollins and all other officials and agencies at USDA. This committee will lean on his statutory interpretations and legal expertise as we develop policies being considered by Congress. While the roles of Deputy Secretary and General Counsel aren't always public-facing, they are essential in ensuring the Department remains focused on the mission and compliance with laws and regulations. I'm thankful for Mr. Vade and Mr. Clarkson being willing to serve and confident both nominees will perform their roles well. I look forward to hearing their testimony and answer to the questions. I now turn to Ranking Member Klobuchar for her opening statement. Well, thank you very much, Chairman Bozeman, for holding this hearing today to consider nominees for two critical positions of the Department of Agriculture.
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Thank you, Judge Baden and Mr. Clarkson, for being with us today. I also want to welcome your wife, Kristen, and soon-to-be new baby, Congratulations to your family. It's good to see Secretary Rollins here as well, as well as Senators Blackburn and Senator Hagerty, thank you. Representative Kustoff and Rose. The past few months, I don't think I'm telling anyone in this room anything that's a breaking news, but have been a turbulent time. That's a Minnesota euphemism for farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans. As expected, key trading partners for U.S. ag exports have announced retaliatory tariffs following President Trump's tariff rollout last week. And that's a huge headwind coming the way or already here when it comes to things like soybean future prices and the like. But that's in addition to the headwinds of input costs and growth. weather and avian flu and some of these other things that our farmers and ranchers have had to deal with. For some of my smaller farmers and ranchers, this is just maybe the thing that puts them over. It's easier for bigger operations to absorb things, but This has been very hard for them, so I hope that we will get some change there. American farmers and ranchers need certainty, and that means strong leadership at the USDA, including, of course, who gets placed in the roles of the Deputy Secretary and General Counsel. The Deputy Secretary is the second highest ranking official at USDA. Traditionally acted as the COO of the department, it requires the job a deep commitment to ensuring the department fulfills its important missions and can serve the farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans across the country that look to the USDA.
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