USDA Set To Get New Boss
Former Iowa governor, Tom Vilsack, is expected to be named as the new head of the USDA, replacing Ed Schafer, at a Chicago news conference later today.
Vilsack will join Obama at the news conference scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. Chicago time.
Vilsack dropped out of the presidential race in 2007 and backed Senator Hillary Clinton before campaigning for Obama in the general election.
Vilsack’s experience as a state legislator and leader of the nation’s largest corn-producing state makes him well-qualified to lead the third-largest Cabinet department in spending.
Amongst other things, Vilsack will be responsible for administering the President-elect's promised $150 billion in renewable energy investment over the next 10 years, making ethanol production a key issue for the new man.
Like Obama, he has publicly nailed his colours to the ethanol mast, linking farming to energy independence and national security.
Vilsack will join Obama at the news conference scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. Chicago time.
Vilsack dropped out of the presidential race in 2007 and backed Senator Hillary Clinton before campaigning for Obama in the general election.
Vilsack’s experience as a state legislator and leader of the nation’s largest corn-producing state makes him well-qualified to lead the third-largest Cabinet department in spending.
Amongst other things, Vilsack will be responsible for administering the President-elect's promised $150 billion in renewable energy investment over the next 10 years, making ethanol production a key issue for the new man.
Like Obama, he has publicly nailed his colours to the ethanol mast, linking farming to energy independence and national security.