Bernie Sanders objected to Tom Vilsack's nomination to resume his Obama-era position as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
Sanders joined six Republicans in opposing Vilsack's nomination
Six Republicans joined the Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential nominee in voting against Vilsack's nomination at the Capitol meeting, where he was finally sworn in with nearly unanimous support. For the second time, by a 92-7 vote, the Senate approved Vilsack as USDA chief.
Sanders was the only Democratic Senator who did not cast a vote in favor of Vilsack's nomination. He joined Republican members of Congress Ted Cruz of Texas; Josh Hawley of Missouri; Rand Paul of Kentucky; Marco Rubio; Rick Scott of Florida; and Dan Sullivan of Alaska. His vote marked the first time that one of President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees was rejected by a member of the Senate Democratic caucus.
Sanders, a democratic and active environmental advocate, first took his senate seat in 2007, after sitting for the best part of two decades at the House of Representatives.
He noted in a statement released by his office following Vilsack's confirmation hearing, which Newsweek received on Tuesday afternoon, that his opposing vote did not reflect personal feelings about the current member of the Cabinet but rather concerns about his policy approach.
After eight years as Iowa Governor, Vilsack had previously led the USDA from 2009 to 2017, under the White House terms of former President Barack Obama. Although Vilsack's return to the job under Biden's administration was endorsed by some major labor unions, such as the National Farmers Union, others were skeptical of his ties to Big Agriculture.
When news of Vilsack's appointment as agriculture secretary emerged in December, Mitch Jones, the policy director of the environmental organization Food and Water Watch, suggested that "Vilsack has made a career of catering to the whims of corporate agriculture giants- some of whom he has gone to work for-while failing to fight for struggling family farmers at every turn."
Sanders voted against Biden's USDA nominee Tom Vilsack
Progressives pushed back on Vilsack's nomination because, during his previous tenure as USDA chief, they thought he was too associated with big agricultural corporations, as per The Hill via MSN. More recently, Vilsack was the head of the U.S. milk lobby group, Dairy Export Council.
Vilsack's role as a lobbyist also sparked questions among leftists, many of whom wanted former lobbyists working in the Biden White House to be restricted. The U.S. Dairy Export Council is a significant advocacy agency representing the industry, and Vilsack formerly worked for the law firm Dorsey & Whitney as a registered lobbyist.
Sanders said in a statement that he opposed Tom Vilsack's confirmation because, at a time when corporate agricultural restructuring is rampant and family farms are being decimated, they need a secretary who is willing to take on corporate influence in the sector aggressively. "I heard from many family farmers in Vermont and around the country who feel that is not what Tom did when he last served in this job," he added.
In 2016, Sanders fought against a bill Vilsack was behind, which required genetically engineered foods labeling but was less strict than Vermont's similar state law. In July 2016, Obama signed the bill, essentially voiding Vermont's legislation.
Biden passed on the USDA post to Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio). Several progressive groups supported Fudge, and he has been a critical supporter of food banks and food insecurity programs.
Senate confirmed Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture
According to Yahoo, Vilsack has been criticized by some progressive groups and minority farm supporters. They argue that he was not proactive enough under the Obama administration to support black farmers and is too close to agribusiness needs.
