Ag Groups Ask for Confirmation Votes on Negotiator Nominees
Nearly 60 agricultural trade groups, companies and ag services providing trade groups asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to schedule confirmation votes for the chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and for the undersecretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs at USDA.
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"It takes years to build relationships and trust with overseas buyers. While other countries are entering into new trade deals, our two key agriculture trade officials remain unconfirmed two years into the Biden Administration. This is unacceptable and is damaging the competitiveness of U.S. food and agriculture," the groups wrote Nov. 29.
They reminded Schumer that 20% of farm revenue is from exports, and that Doug McKalip's nomination to serve as chief agricultural negotiator passed the Finance Committee (see 2209070069), and that Alexis Taylor's nomination to serve as an undersecretary at USDA passed the Agriculture Committee (see 2209280007), both by unanimous votes in September.
"Time is of the essence to confirm these nominees," the groups wrote, asking that it be done before the end of the year.