DOCSLIB.ORG

Margins Workshop Transcript

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Margins Workshop Transcript Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 1 WORKSHOP ON AGRICULTURE AND ANTITRUST ENFORCEMENT ISSUES IN OUR 21ST CENTURY ECONOMY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2010 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE JEFFERSON AUDITORIUM 1400 INDEPENDENCE AVENUE, S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20250 (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 2 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 SECRETARY VILSACK: Good morning, everyone. I 3 certainly want to welcome everybody to the USDA for the 4 fifth and final in a series of competition workshops 5 held jointly by the USDA and the Department of Justice 6 to explore the appropriate role for antitrust and 7 regulatory enforcement in American agriculture. 8 I want to welcome the panelists who I will 9 introduce in a few minutes and my good friend, the 10 Attorney General, who I will also introduce in just a 11 second. 12 In my travels across the country I've heard 13 from producers who are concerned about the future of 14 American agriculture. In these workshops we've been 15 looking at a wide range of issues regarding competition 16 in agriculture and today we look at the dynamics and 17 the interplay between each segment of the food 18 marketing chain, margins in the livestock, poultry and 19 dairy industries, and issues in the retailing sector. 20 The Obama Administration is committed to 21 being the most open and transparent in history, which 22 is why we look forward to this dialogue with a diverse (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 3 1 group of stakeholders regarding the agricultural 2 marketplace. I want to welcome all of you to this 3 workshop and to this hearing. 4 Today we intend to focus on a number of 5 issues. We will explore and better understand how 6 livestock and other agricultural commodities move 7 through out system and the dynamics and challenges 8 within each segment of the food marketing chain. And 9 we hope to explore margins in the livestock, poultry 10 and dairy industries. And, lastly, we'll focus on the 11 potential implications of consolidation in our 12 retailing sector. 13 I want to say these workshops have been very 14 beneficial to me and to USDA in helping us understand 15 the issues that are of most concern and deserve close 16 attention. I acknowledge that the issue of 17 agricultural competition is extremely complex. The 18 ever-changing nature of the sector suggests the need to 19 ask questions and shed light on issues that frankly 20 have not seen much light in many years. President 21 Obama has provided a clear direction; the government 22 should be open and transparent, which is what these (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 4 1 workshops are designed to do and be. 2 We want to, and we have had a public dialogue 3 on these issues. We've held workshops across the 4 country to explore the appropriate role of antitrust 5 and regulatory enforcement. In March we had a workshop 6 on seed concentration and hog market issues in Ankeny, 7 Iowa. In May we traveled to Normal, Alabama to discuss 8 poultry issues. In June we discussed dairy issues in 9 Madison, Wisconsin. And in August we explored 10 competition in livestock markets in Fort Collins, 11 Colorado. 12 In these workshops in my travels across the 13 country, a number of themes have emerged. Producers 14 want to have or maintain marketing options. They want 15 transparency. They want access to markets. They have 16 fewer buyers with whom to do business and they struggle 17 with debt and face challenges accessing capital. And, 18 lastly, they just want to be treated fairly and with 19 respect. 20 Most importantly of all, they care about the 21 future of agriculture and want it to succeed, which is 22 why we've seen such an overwhelming response and (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 5 1 attendance at these workshops. 2 I for one am optimistic about the future of 3 agriculture and I think our best days are indeed ahead. 4 For this to happen, we simply need to ask the right 5 questions and not ignore warning signs. And there are 6 warning signs that we should consider. America's mid- 7 sized farms are barely profitable, and not always 8 profitable enough to sustain a family. 9 At the Iowa workshop, Jim Foster, a pork 10 producer from Missouri summarized his concerns as 11 follows: He said, "My concern is not for me, but for 12 my kids and grandkids, make sure they can pursue the 13 American Dream as my wife and I have." 14 He compared what he saw driving through the 15 rural roads of Iowa and Missouri in the 1960s to today. 16 "I saw home-built hog shelters and lots of rolling 17 hills with sows with new litters. I saw barns across 18 Iowa with concrete pads out front with 50 to 100 calves 19 on feed. I saw veterinarians at work with their catch 20 chute, feed trucks delivering feed, implement dealers 21 delivering a new manure spreader or feed grinder." 22 Today, he sees: "Very little human activity around (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 6 1 what was once a thriving economic model." 2 We all realize that agriculture can't be 3 exactly like it was 40 years ago, but the warning signs 4 shouldn't be ignored either. In the past 40 years, the 5 United States has lost 800,000 farmers and ranchers, 6 and our remaining farmers are aging. From 2002 to 7 2007, the average age of a farmer increased from 55 to 8 57 years. And the number of farmers age 75 years or 9 older increased by 20 percent over the same period, 10 while the number of operators under 25-years-of-age, 11 decreased by 30 percent. More than half of our rural 12 counties, based on the 2000 census, lost population. 13 At today's workshop, we will ask more 14 questions. We'll explore more into margins and why the 15 retail value to producers is shifting away from them 16 and what that all means. In 2009, a hog producer 17 received 24.5 percent of the retail value of a hog. And 18 it was over double this percentage, nearly 50 percent, 19 in 1980. Last year, 13.6 percent went to the packer 20 and 61.9 percent went to the retailer. 21 The cattle producer gets 42-1/2 percent of 22 the retail value of a steer in 2009, which compares to (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 7 1 62 percent in 1980. Last year 8-1/2 percent went to 2 the packer and 49 percent went to the retailer. 3 Today we'll also explore what effects, if 4 any, retail consolidation has had on the marketplace 5 across all marketing sectors. And there are warning 6 signs to pay attention to there as well. The four 7 largest retailers account for 37 percent of U.S. 8 grocery store sales in 2009, compared to 34 percent in 9 2004, 28 percent in 1999 and 17 percent in 1994. And 10 we know that concentration can be much higher in 11 certain regions of the country. 12 There can usually be an explanation as some 13 to aspects of these complex issues, but we must also 14 ask if everything is fine, why aren't we seeing more 15 young people getting in agriculture and why are people 16 leaving our rural counties? 17 At USDA, we take these warning signs very 18 seriously, and have taken a number of steps to assist 19 producers in rural communities. The USDA and the 20 Department of Justice have established the Agriculture 21 Competition Joint Task Force to explore new 22 opportunities for harnessing each other's expertise and (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 8 1 improving enforcement of laws designed to produce and 2 protect producers. 3 In particular, USDA and the Department of 4 Justice have established a new process to handle 5 complaints for unfair and deceptive practice in the 6 poultry industry to more effectively and timely resolve 7 cases, something we feel will further facilitate 8 addressing concerns we heard at the Alabama workshop. 9 Enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act 10 was mentioned many times at the workshops. And in the 11 past few years, the President has increased GIPSA's 12 budget to improve enforcement over unfair and deceptive 13 practices in the marketplace. And the Department is 14 hiring new attorneys and field investigators to handle 15 complex competition investigations and other 16 violations. 17 The USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and 18 Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) I know, proposed a 19 rule last summer for fairness in the marketing of 20 livestock and poultry. We know it has sparked 21 considerable interest and discussion. And now we have 22 the public comments, some of which we heard at the (866) 448 - DEPO www.CapitalReportingCompany.com © 2011 Capital Reporting Company Agriculture & Antitrust Enforcement Issues 12-08-2010 9 1 Colorado workshop.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • CEO Salaries Were on the Rise. Then Came COVID-19
    September 9, 2020 Volume 16, Number 34 CEO salaries were on the rise. Then came COVID-19. The agriculture industry was able to wrap up its annual early-year blitz of meetings and conventions before the onset of the coronavirus led to months-long event cancellations, but with next year’s crop of meetings in jeopardy, organizations are taking a nervous look at their balance sheets — including what they pay their CEOs. “A key driver for a lot of organizations is going to be how are they now going to measure success?” asked Bob Skelton, the chief administrative officer at the American Society of Association Executives. Financial indicators have been an easy metric to follow in recent years; an organization with good cash flow generally means a CEO receives a healthy bonus or raise. In fact, Skelton said a 5% bump in pay had become standard for association executives across many different sectors. Now, with the lost revenue of canceled events, one area where there might be some savings is in payroll, specifically in the compensation of their top executives. The numbers reported in this year’s Agri-Pulse CEO salary report just might represent a peak of sorts, and the financial hit of COVID-19 could deal a blow to organizations that will require years of recovery. “The whole landscape right now is murky, and there’s going to be changes,” Skelton said. “We’re not going to know all the details about those changes for another year, but things are definitely going to look different.” www.Agri-Pulse.com 1 But prior to COVID-19, CEO salaries were on a predictable upward trajectory.
    [Show full text]
  • Schnoebelen Dissertation-FULL VERSION
    The Gendered Shackles of the Would-Be “Madame President”: A Rhetorical Analysis of Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Communication during the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary BY ©2010 James M. Schnoebelen Submitted to the graduate degree program in Communication Studies and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. __________________________________ Chairperson __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ Date Defended __________________________________ The Dissertation Committee for James M. Schnoebelen certifies That this is the approved version of the following dissertation: The Gendered Shackles of the Would-Be “Madame President”: A Rhetorical Analysis of Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Communication during the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary Committee: __________________________________ Chairperson __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ Date Defended __________________________________ 2 This work is dedicated to all of the daring women who have ever tried to break the highest and hardest glass ceiling in the United States (in chronological order): Victoria Woodhull (1872, 1892) Belva Lockwood (1884, 1888) Grace Allen (1940) Margaret Chase Smith (1964) Charlene Mitchell (1968) Shirley Chisholm (1972) Patsy Takemoto Mink (1972) Bella Abzug (1972) Linda Osteen
    [Show full text]
  • Read Book the Daily Show and Philosophy : Moments of ZEN In
    THE DAILY SHOW AND PHILOSOPHY : MOMENTS OF ZEN IN THE ART OF FAKE NEWS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Jason Holt | 280 pages | 11 Dec 2007 | John Wiley and Sons Ltd | 9781405163149 | English | Chicester, United Kingdom The Daily Show and Philosophy : Moments of ZEN in the Art of Fake News PDF Book It also describes a type of Buddhism in which meditation is used to stay present and non-judgmental. Roy Wood, Jr. When you are sitting in a secluded spot, close your eyes. Public Excess was a segment hosted by correspondent Rich Brown. This organization of organization does not operate at the level of actual action or plain intimidation but on that of anxiety and inadequacy; not by confinement or demanding obedience to the rules and being afraid of their violation, but by setting expectations, moods, opinion climates, standards of communication and cooperation. Arby's also made a 'Goodbye Jon Stewart' video for Stewart's last show, which was a small compilation of all the jokes that Stewart's made about them. Back in Black with Lewis Black is a popular segment on the show, where "America's foremost commentator on everything" and comedian Lewis Black catches the stories that, according to his introduction, "fall through the cracks", and comments on them in a humorous rant. The original host of the segment was Michael Blieden until Then, when the basis for such a comparison was developed, I began to realize how firmly rooted the show is in the grand philosophical tradition. Sign in Create an account. To keep careful tabs on the time without an alarm, grab a mala string of beads and use it to count the breaths and stay focused.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sunday Fix for Even More of the Fix Go to Washingtonpost.Com/Thefix
    2BLACK A2 DAILY 01-20-08 MD RE A2 BLACK A2 Sunday, January 20, 2008 R The Washington Post ON WASHINGTONPOST.COM The Sunday Fix For even more of the Fix go to washingtonpost.com/thefix CHRIS CILLIZZA AND SHAILAGH MURRAY It’s Never Too Early to Think About No. 2 Here at the Sunday Fix, we’re already looking beyond the nomination fi ghts to the always entertaining vice presidential speculation game. We queried some party strategists for their thoughts on the early front-runners. Here’s their consensus: DEMOCRATS John Edwards Tim Kaine Wesley Clark Tom Daschle Evan Bayh Kathleen Sebelius Tom Vilsack The former senator from The popular Virginia Clark, who ran for presi- He and his political in- The senator from Indiana The two-term Kansas Going into the Iowa cau- North Carolina has done governor was one of the dent in 2004, has been ner circle are extremely is clearly angling for the governor is a rising star cuses, Vilsack was the it once, so most peo- first to endorse Sen. one of the most valu- close to Obama. Daschle No. 2 slot, with his early nationally and is coming leader in the clubhouse ple think he won’t do it Barack Obama (Ill.). able surrogates of Sen. would help Obama ad- endorsement and strong off a successful stint as for vice president if Clin- again. If Edwards stays Kaine comes from a Hillary Rodham Clinton dress questions about advocacy for Clinton. He chairman of the Demo- ton were to win the nom- in through the conven- swing state, is term- (N.Y.).
    [Show full text]
  • Giving a Hand to Those in Need
    SUMMER 2016 Giving a Hand to Those in Need COMMENCEMENT 2016 • JESSE SHAPIRA ’95 • REID VAN LEHN ’05 Editor Lindsay Kovach Associate Editor Jennifer Roupe Contributors Val Brkich Christa Burneff Cristina Rouvalis Photography Commencement and feature photography by James Knox Additional photos provided by SSA faculty, staff, coaches, alumni, students and parents. Class notes photos are submitted by alumni and class correspondents. Design Kara Reid The following icons denote stories related to key goals Printing of SSA’s strategic vision, entitled Challenging Students to Broudy Printing Think Expansively, Act Ethically and Lead Responsibly. Shady Side Academy Magazine is published twice a year for Shady Side Academy alumni, parents and For more information, visit shadysideacademy.org/strategicvision. friends. Letters to the editor should be sent to Lindsay Kovach, Shady Side Academy, 423 Fox Chapel Rd., Academic Community Pittsburgh, PA 15238. Address corrections should be Program Connections sent to the Alumni & Development Office, Shady Side Academy, 423 Fox Chapel Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15238. Junior School, 400 S. Braddock Ave., Physical Faculty Pittsburgh, PA 15221, 412-473-4400 Resources Middle School, 500 Squaw Run Road East, Pittsburgh, PA 15238, 412-968-3100 Financial Senior School, 423 Fox Chapel Rd., Students Sustainability Pittsburgh, PA 15238, 412-968-3000 www.shadysideacademy.org facebook.com/shadysideacademy twitter.com/shady_side youtube.com/shadysideacademy FSC to be placed by printer contentsSUMMER 2016 FEATURES ALSO IN THIS
    [Show full text]
  • What a Biden Harris Administration Could Look Like
    President Biden’s Team Confirmed choices of the 46th President Secretary of Secretary of State Secretary of Treasury Homeland Security Antony Blinken Janet Yellen Alejandro Mayorkas Former Deputy Former Chairwoman of Former Deputy Secretary of State the Federal Reserve Secretary of Homeland Board Security Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra Current Attorney General of California President Biden’s Team Rumored choices of the 46th President Secretary of U.S. Attorney Secretary of Defense General Interior Lloyd Austin Xavier Becerra Steve Bullock Retired General, former head of U.S. Central Current Attorney General of California Governor of Montana and former presidential Command candidate Tammy Duckworth Raul Grivalja Member of the Armed Services Committee Amy Klobuchar Congressman from Arizona and Chair of the and former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Senator from Minnesota and former Committee on Natural Resources presidential candidate that gave key Michele Flournoy endorsement to Biden in the primaries Deb Haaland Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Congresswoman from Arizona, one of the first Doug Jones Jeh Johnson Native American women elected to Congress Former Senator from Alabama and former U.S. Former Secretary of Homeland Security, and Attorney Martin Heinrich former General Counsel of the Department of Junior Senator from New Mexico Defense Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Sally Yates Tom Udall Former Coordinator for Defense Policy, Former acting AG under Obama and outspoken Retiring Senator from New Mexico and son of Countering WMDs, and Arms Control under critic of Trump’s Department of Justice the former U.S. Secretary of Interior in the Obama 60’s, Stewart Udall Secretary of Secretary of Secretary of Agriculture Commerce Labor Marcia Fudge Ursula Burns Andy Levin Congresswoman from Ohio, Chair of the Member of the Board of Directors of Uber Congressman from MI, former labor organizer House Ag.
    [Show full text]
  • Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Biography
    United States Department of Agriculture Secretary of Agriculture - Tom Vilsack Tom Vilsack serves as the Nation's 30th Secretary of Agriculture. As leader of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Vilsack is working hard to strengthen the American agricultura l economy, build vibrant rural communities and create new markets for the tremendous innovation of rural America. In more than six years at the Department, Vilsack has worked to implement President Obama's agenda to put Americans back to work and create an economy built to last. USDA has supported America's farmers, ranchers and growers who are driving the rural economy forward, provided food assistance to millions of Americans, carried out record conservation efforts, made record investments in our rural communities and helped provide a safe, sufficient and nutritious food supply for the American people. The Obama Administration and USDA have made historic investments in America's rural communities, helping create ladders of opportunity for rural people and building thriving rural economies for the long term. As chair of the first-ever White House Rural Council, Secretary Vilsack and USDA are taking steps to strengthen 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. USDA is promoting American agriculture by conducting cutting-edge research and expanding markets at home and abroad. The years 2009-2014 represent the strongest six years in history for agricultural trade, and new trade agreements President Obama signed with Columbia, South Korea and Panama will create even more export opportunities for American farmers and ranchers.
    [Show full text]
  • ABC News: Benefits of a Presidential Bid 02/02/2007 08:36 AM
    ABC News: Benefits of a Presidential Bid 02/02/2007 08:36 AM Benefits of a Presidential Bid With So Many Candidates in the Field, What Happens to All the Losers? By WILLEM MARX Feb. 1, 2007 — - So far there are 20 bids in the presidential race. But have you ever wondered why the long-shot candidates even bother? Perhaps because even presidential losers can end up as financial winners. Beside the heavyweights like John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama, many other politicians are vying for their party's nomination. This is nothing unusual, according to political science professor William Mayer of Northeastern University. "The nonincumbent party -- which in 2008 is the Democrats -- usually has a very large field, and on the Republican side they are in the same boat because there's no vice president [running for election]," Mayer said. The long-shot candidate's motto might be "remember Jimmy Carter." When the race for the 1976 Democratic nomination began, Carter was widely seen as a long shot. But by the time the primary season was half finished, he had left the other, better-known Democratic contenders in the dust. Nevertheless, today's field certainly has a number of candidates who could charitably be described as having outside chances. That includes Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. Hunter is a conservative in the Republican field, but he has barely registered a percentage point in the latest, albeit early, polling. In fact, the 14-term congressman is aiming to be the first sitting House member elected president since James Garfield in 1880.
    [Show full text]
  • 03 01 2011 Sect 1 (Pdf)
    Roberts vows to be a champion for agriculture By Donna Sullivan, Editor said. He said that crop insur- said. As to the amount of “Business as usual is not ance will be easier to defend control Congress has if a business as usual today,” because people understand federal judge sides with the Sen. Pat Roberts stated in the concept of insurance, EPA on any given issue, he his opening remarks at the but doesn’t expect that to be responded, “Congress can Kansas Commodity Classic the case with direct pay- take their money away. That last Tuesday. “I have never ments, which could face gets their attention. The seen a Congress that places more opposition. biggest priority has to be to so little value on agricul- The subject of ARS re- roll back all these regula- ture.” Roberts is the ranking search funding was also tions. It’s absolute mad- minority member of the covered. Roberts indicated ness.” Senate Ag Committee. that it wasn’t funded at a “Following the 2008 Roberts was joined by re- level he thought it should be elections, my prediction or tired Rep. Larry Combest of in the president’s budget. warning was that the thing Texas. “Kansas is the envy Pointing out a projected we would probably be talk- of a whole lot of people in population of 9.3 billion in ing more about is environ- production agriculture,” the next several decades, he mental policy rather than Combest told the produc- posed the question, “How farm policy,” Combest said. ers who had gathered in will we feed them unless we Roberts spoke again after Great Bend for the event.
    [Show full text]
  • December 22, 2010 Department Of
    December 22, 2010 Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack FAX: (202) 720-2166 Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell FAX: (202) 205-1765 Forest Service Regional Forester Corbin Newman FAX: (505) 842-3110 Coronado National Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch FAX: (520) 388-8305 Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar FAX: (202) 208-6956 Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould FAX: (202) 208-6965 Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle FAX: (505) 248-6910 Fish and Wildlife Service State Supervisor Steve Spangle FAX: (602) 242-2513 University of Arizona President Robert Shelton FAX: (520) 621-9323 Dear Messrs. Schafer, Tidwell, Newman, Upchurch, Salazar, Gould, Tuggle, Spangle, and Shelton, RE: Notice of Intent to Sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for failing to reinitiate Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) regarding (1) the Mount Graham telescope project and its resulting jeopardy to the endangered Mount Graham Red Squirrel, and (2) regarding destruction of Critical Habitat. SUMMARY OF LEGAL VIOLATIONS On behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Maricopa Audubon Society, and the Mount Graham Coalition, I hereby provide notice, pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 1540(g)(2), that USDA and USFS are in violation of the ESA for failing to reinitiate formal consultation under section 7 of the ESA, 16 U.S.C. § 1536, for the Mount Graham telescope project. The telescope project is permitted by USFS in consultation by USFWS. The Mount Graham telescope project has exceeded the allocated size and extent considered in its applicable July 14, 1988, USFWS Biological Opinion.
    [Show full text]
  • Senate Section (PDF 519KB)
    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 117 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 167 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 No. 33 Senate The Senate met at 3 p.m. and was Senate, I hereby appoint the Honorable diminution of zeal for your future in- called to order by the Honorable MAZIE MAZIE K. HIRONO, a Senator from the terest, no deficiency of grateful respect K. HIRONO, a Senator from the State of State of Hawaii, to perform the duties for your past kindness, but am sup- Hawaii. of the Chair. ported by a full conviction that the f PATRICK J. LEAHY, step is compatible with both. President pro tempore The acceptance of, and continuance PRAYER Ms. HIRONO thereupon assumed the hitherto in, the office to which your The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Chair as Acting President pro tempore. suffrages have twice called me have fered the following prayer: f been a uniform sacrifice of inclination Let us pray. to the opinion of duty and to a def- Eternal God, as we cross the grim RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME erence for what appeared to be your de- milestone of 500,000 lives lost to the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- sire. I constantly hoped that it would coronavirus, we continue to look to pore. Under the previous order, the have been much earlier in my power, You for strength, guidance, and wis- leadership time is reserved. consistently with motives which I was dom. not at liberty to disregard, to return to Lord, use our Senators to bring heal- f that retirement from which I had been ing to our Nation and world.
    [Show full text]
  • Vilsack Facing Long To-Do List, Including Climate, Race, Rules
    January 6, 2020 Volume 17, Number 1 Vilsack facing long to-do list, including climate, race, rules Tom Vilsack is expected to have little trouble getting confirmed to another term as agriculture secretary. It's a good thing, because he'll have a lot to do the minute he walks in the door, starting with implementation of the COVID package just enacted. Farm policy veterans say Vilsack will also be expected to move simultaneously on two of President-elect Joe Biden's top priorities: addressing climate change and racial injustice. Vilsack also would likely move to reverse or halt some major regulatory actions by outgoing Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, including rewriting a rule finalized in December that clarifies what constitutes “undue or unreasonable preference” in relationships between processors and producers. In addition, Vilsack will likely want to expeditiously fill key positions in the department. The speed of that process will be determined by who controls the Senate. (As we publish Wednesday morning, Democrats gained one of two Senate seats in Georgia’s twin runoff election and the second has yet to be called.) The department's deputy secretary, who serves as USDA's chief operating officer, and the department’s eight undersecretaries must be confirmed by the Senate. That process could take months even though the Senate Tom Vilsack on the campaign trail. Photo by Adam precedent no longer requires 60 votes to Schultz / Biden for President approve administrative nominations. Dale Moore, who served as chief of staff for USDA during the George W. Bush administration, thinks Vilsack is likely to go ahead and appoint deputy undersecretaries and agency administrators without waiting to get undersecretaries confirmed.
    [Show full text]