President Biden chose Xochitl Torres Small, the granddaughter of migrant farmworkers, as his nominee for Agriculture deputy secretary, the second-ranking post at the USDA, announced the White House on Wednesday. Torres Small has served as USDA undersecretary for rural development since October 2021.
If confirmed by the Senate, Torres Small would succeed Jewel Bronaugh, the first Black person to serve as deputy secretary. APHIS administrator Kevin Shea will serve as acting deputy secretary when Bronaugh leaves the USDA at the end of February.
The deputy secretary is in charge of day-to-day operations at the USDA, one of the largest federal agencies, with 100,000 employees and offices in every state.
“Torres Small has been an exemplary member of the USDA subcabinet and a dedicated advocate for rural communities,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. USDA Rural Development was the first federal agency to put money from the infrastructure bill to work on infrastructure for high-speed internet access, he said.
She became the first woman to represent southwestern New Mexico in Congress when she was elected to the House in 2018, narrowly defeating Republican Yvette Herrell. In 2020, when Torres Small ran for re-election, Herrell defeated her by 8 percentage points in the Republican-leaning district.
Vilsack said Torres Small “represents the heart and soul of rural communities.” She worked after college as a field organizer in colonias — unincorporated settlements that often lack water and other services — and later as a field representative for then-Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico. In the House, Torres Small was a member of a Democratic task force on rural broadband.
Bronaugh will be the first of Biden’s senior-level nominees to leave the USDA. Two top-tier jobs remain open halfway through Biden’s term. The White House has renominated Stacy Dean to be undersecretary for nutrition and Margo Schlanger to be assistant secretary for civil rights.
On social media, Bronaugh said she was confident Torres Small “will excel as Deputy Secretary and further USDA’s mission to advance equity and opportunity for underserved communities.” Western lawmakers also hailed the nomination. The National Milk Producers Federation said Torres Small “is a proven advocate for dairy farmers, and we look forward to our continued work together.”