Tom Vilsack

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Tom Vilsack
Image of Tom Vilsack

Nonpartisan

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

3

Prior offices
Mayor of Mount Pleasant Iowa
Iowa State Senate
Governor of Iowa
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Elections and appointments
Appointed

January 21, 2009

Education

Bachelor's

Hamilton College, 1972

Law

Albany Law School, 1975

Personal
Profession
Attorney

Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is the secretary of agriculture in the Biden administration. He was confirmed on February 23, 2021, by a vote of 92-7. Click here to learn more about his confirmation process.

Vilsack previously served as the secretary of agriculture in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. The Senate unanimously confirmed him on January 20, 2009. He was the longest-serving member of Obama's Cabinet.[1][2]

Before serving in the Obama administration, Vilsack was a two-term governor of Iowa, a state senator in Iowa, and the mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa.[1]

Biography

Vilsack was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 13, 1950. He graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. in 1972 and Albany Law School in 1975. He worked at a private law firm before starting his career in politics.[1][3]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Vilsack's academic, professional, and political career:[1][3][4]

  • 2017-Present: President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council
  • 2009-2017: U.S. secretary of agriculture
  • 2007-2008: Managing partner for the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney
  • 2006-2007: Candidate for Democratic presidential nomination
  • 1999-2007: Governor of Iowa
  • 2004: Chair of the Democratic Governors Association
  • 1992-1999: Member of the Iowa State Senate, Iowa's 49th District
  • 1987-1992: Mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa
  • 1975-1998: Lawyer in private practice
  • 1975: Earned J.D. from Albany Law School
  • 1972: Graduated from Hamilton College

Nomination for secretary of agriculture, 2021

See also: Joe Biden presidential transition and Confirmation process for Tom Vilsack for secretary of agriculture
Joe Biden's Cabinet
Candidate: Tom Vilsack
Position: Secretary of Agriculture
ApprovedaAnnounced:December 10, 2020
ApprovedaHearing:February 2, 2021
ApprovedaCommittee:Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
ApprovedaReported:Favorable (Voice Vote)
ApprovedaConfirmed:February 23, 2021
ApprovedaVote:92-7

On December 10, 2020, former Vice President Joe Biden (D) announced he would nominate Vilsack to again serve as secretary of agriculture in his administration.[5]

The Biden Transition said of his nomination, "With an estimated one-in-six Americans and a quarter of U.S. children facing a hunger crisis, farmers reeling, and rural communities struggling to weather the pain and economic fallout of the pandemic, Vilsack will bring the experience and bold thinking needed to deliver immediate relief to farmers, ranchers, producers and families all across the country. Vilsack is committed to ensuring the USDA promotes true equity and inclusion in every mission it has."[6]

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held Vilsack's confirmation hearing on February 2, 2021. The committee unanimously advanced his nomination to a full Senate vote. The Senate confirmed Vilsack on February 23, 2021, by a vote of 92-7.

Summary of Senate vote on Tom Vilsack's nomination for secretary of agriculture (February 23, 2021)
Party Votes for Votes against Not voting
Democratic Party Democrats 47 0 1
Republican Party Republicans 44 6 0
Grey.png Independents 1 1 0
Totals 92 7 1


Click on the following table to view the full roll call.

Nomination for secretary of agriculture, 2009

Vilsack was confirmed by unanimous consent on January 20, 2009. He was among several of President Barack Obama's initial Cabinet nominees.[2]

Term initiatives

The USDA listed the following initiatives on its website during Vilsack's tenure as secretary of agriculture during the Obama administration:[7]

  • Chaired "the first-ever White House Rural Council," with the purpose of strengthening "services for rural businesses and entrepreneurs by finding new ways to make the connection between the demand for investment in rural areas and the financial community;"
  • Helped complete trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama to expand agricultural markets;
  • Helped "increase the number of farmers markets by 180 percent since 2006, and made more than 500 investments in local food infrastructure - including food hubs, local processing facilities and distribution networks - to help connect farmers and consumers and create jobs all along the supply chain for local food;"
  • Spearheaded conservation programs "to restore our forests and clean our water supply," while also creating private-sector jobs;
  • "Partnered with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to improve the health of America's children;"
  • "Helped pass and implement the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, enabling USDA to help combat child hunger and obesity by making the most significant improvements to school meals in 30 years;"
  • "Led a comprehensive effort to improve the safety of the American food supply, implementing changes to food safety standards to prevent illnesses by reducing the prevalence of E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter in our meat and poultry;" and

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Department Secretaries
Lloyd Austin • Xavier Becerra • Tony Blinken • Miguel Cardona • Marcia Fudge • Denis McDonough • Pete Buttigieg • Merrick Garland • Jennifer Granholm • Alejandro Mayorkas • Gina Raimondo • Marty Walsh • Tom Vilsack • Janet Yellen
  • Helped reach "historic resolutions to all major past cases of discrimination brought against USDA by minority groups, and taking definitive action to move USDA into a new era as a model employer and premier service provider."

Food safety improvements

During the first seven years of the Obama administration, the USDA instituted five food safety changes that lead "to a 12 percent drop in foodborne illness associated with meat, poultry and processed egg products."[8]

Commenting on the advances in food safety, Vilsack said, "The United States has the strongest food safety system in the world, and over the past seven years it has grown even stronger. We're better now at keeping unsafe food out of commerce, whether it's made unsafe because of dangerous bacteria, or because of an allergen, like peanuts or wheat. Over the course of this Administration, we have tightened our regulatory requirements for the meat and poultry industry, enhanced consumer engagement around safe food handling practices, and made smart changes to our own operations, ultimately moving the needle on the number of foodborne illness cases attributed to products that we regulate."[8]

The five food safety advances appear below.[8]

1. Prohibiting STECs: In 2011, the USDA made it illegal to sell raw beef products containing the "Big Six" strains of shiga-toxin producing E. coli.

2. Labeling Mechanically Tenderized Meat: In 2016, the USDA began requiring "meat companies to disclose on packages of beef steak and other whole cuts if a product has been 'mechanically tenderized,' meaning the meat was pierced with needles or small blades to break up tissue and make it tenderer. The blades or needles can introduce pathogens from the surface of the beef to the interior, making proper cooking very important."

3. Targeting Commonly Purchased Items: The possibility of exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter increases as poultry is processed into parts like wings and breasts. In February 2016, the USDA created a standard for testing chicken parts at "a point closer to the final product." According to the USDA, "These new standards are expected to prevent 50,000 cases of foodborne illness annually."

4. Modernizing Poultry Food Safety Inspections: In August 2014, the USDA began requiring "all poultry facilities create a plan to prevent contamination with Salmonella and Campylobacter, rather than addressing contamination after it occurs. Under this update, poultry companies now have to collect samples at two points on their production line and have them tested to show control of enteric pathogens, which is done in addition to USDA's own improved testing strategy in poultry plants. This same update introduced the New Poultry Inspection System, a science-based inspection system that, while optional for poultry companies, positions food safety inspectors in a smarter way so that they can have maximum food safety oversight."

5. Testing and Holding Policy: "In 2012, USDA began requiring meat and poultry companies to hold all product that is undergoing laboratory analysis until the agency's microbial and chemical tests for harmful hazards are fully complete."

Vilsack on the role of government in food choices

In March 2016, Politico reporter Catherine Boudreau asked Vilsack, "Why is the government in the business of telling us what to eat?"

Vilsack replied, "It is important to all of us, because health care costs are incurred when we are in a situation, as we are today in this country, where a lot of folks are obese or overweight. There are chronic diseases that impact the quality of their life and the amount of medical and health care expenses we are all spending. It's also a situation where we won't be as productive, and we're particularly concerned about our children and the fact that nearly a third of our children are obese or at risk of being obese. So, it's something that needs to be focused on."[9]

Presidential preference

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Vilsack endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[10]

See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton

Possible 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate

See also: Possible vice presidential picks, 2016

Vilsack was mentioned as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate. On July 22, 2016, Hillary Clinton announced that she had selected U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as her running mate.[11]

Vilsack, the longest-serving member of Obama's cabinet and a former midwestern governor, was mentioned as Clinton's possible vice presidential running mate. His long career in government and his loyalty to the Clintons made him a top pick. According to CNN, "Vilsack has known both Clinton and former President Bill Clinton for decades. He first became acquainted with Hillary Clinton in the 1970s, when she worked alongside Vilsack's brother-in-law on a congressional Watergate committee. Most recently, Clinton and Vilsack served together on Obama's cabinet."[12]

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Family

Vilsack and his wife Christie have two sons.[1]

2012 "Designated survivor"

During the 2012 State of the Union address, Vilsack served as Obama's "designated survivor.” A “designated survivor” is named as a security precaution when the president and high-ranking officials gather in one place. The designated survivor, who is in individual in the presidential line of succession, stays at a secure, private location in the event of an emergency or attack.[13]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Tom + Vilsack + Secretary + Agriculture

Tom Vilsack News Feed

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 United States Department of Agriculture, "Secretary of Agriculture - Tom Vilsack," accessed July 20, 2016
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Reuters, "Senate confirms Vilsack as agriculture secretary," January 20, 2009
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 CNN, "Tom Vilsack Fast Facts," March 7, 2013
  4. ↑ U.S. Dairy Export Council, "Our Staff," accessed February 9, 2021
  5. ↑ Biden-Harris Transition, "President-elect Biden Announces Key Members of His Administration," December 10, 2020
  6. ↑ 4President, "President-elect Biden Announces Key Members of His Administration," December 10, 2020
  7. ↑ Department of Agriculture (via Archhive.org), "Secretary of Agriculture - Tom Vilsack," June 1, 2016
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 USDA.gov, "During Obama Administration, USDA Has Made Most Significant Food Safety Updates Since 1950s," accessed July 22, 2016
  9. ↑ Politico, "Q&A with Tom Vilsack, Obama’s last man standing," accessed July 20, 2016
  10. ↑ MSNBC, "Tom Vilsack endorses Hillary Clinton in another big Iowa nod," August 25, 2015
  11. ↑ The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton selects Tim Kaine, a popular senator from a swing state, as running mate," July 22, 2016
  12. ↑ CNN, "Clinton veepstakes: Why consider Tom Vilsack?" accessed July 22, 2016
  13. ↑ The Washington Post, "State of the Union: Tom Vilsack to serve as Cabinet's ‘designated survivor’," January 24, 2012

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
2021-Present		 Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
- 		U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
2009-2017		 Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
- 		Governor of Iowa
1999-2007		 Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
- 		Iowa State Senate
1992-1999		 Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
- 		Mayor of Mount Pleasant Iowa
1987-1992		 Succeeded by
-
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U.S. Executive Branch
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