Politico: Biden Taps Tom Vilsack To Return As Agriculture Secretary

The selection of the new U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary is important to the RV and outdoor recreation industries as the U.S. Forest Service, which hosts millions of RVers per year, falls under the jurisdiction of USDA. The RV Industry Association's Government Affairs team, along with the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, are currently engaging with various transition teams to ensure campground modernization and expansion are front and center as federal agencies transition their leadership roles. Increased federal investment and focus on supporting jobs and rural economic growth through outdoor recreation and RV camping will help address the needs of not only the RV community but also distressed rural communities coming back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

President-elect Joe Biden has selected Tom Vilsack as Agriculture secretary, according to three people familiar with the decision.

Vilsack, who served as Agriculture secretary for eight years in the Obama administration, was a top rural and agriculture policy adviser during Biden's presidential campaign. He’s also a former governor of Iowa and was a top contender to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016.

[…]

Vilsack, who largely avoided major controversy during his tenure, faces an expected easy path to Senate confirmation. Sen. Chuck Grassley of told reporters on Tuesday that he likes what Vilsack “did as secretary of Agriculture for eight years and if he was in for another four years it’d be OK with me.” The Iowa Republican also offered to speak on behalf of Vilsack during confirmation proceedings.

Check out the full article from Politico here.

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