Three newly elected senators – Joni Ernst of Iowa, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and David Perdue of Georgia – will chair Senate Agriculture subcommittees this session, announced Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts. In a statement, Roberts said the committee had “a hearty dose of new blood” as well as experienced veterans. “We have a lot of work to do, not only with legislation but in our robust oversight responsibilities. This posse is saddled up and ready to ride.”
Ernst, a combat veteran and first woman senator from Iowa, was named chair of the subcommittee on rural development and energy. Perdue, a former business executive, will chair the subcommittee on conservation, forestry and natural resources. Sasse, a college president before election to the Senate, will be in charge of the subcommittee on livestock, marketing and agriculture security, a portfolio that includes food safety and security issues.
“My goal is to make sure that the EPA doesn’t insidiously burden our farmers, and that we continue to foster growth and innovation across our largest industry,” said Perdue.
North Dakota Sen John Hoeven, who argued last year that USDA was rushing too quickly on adding whole grains to school meals, was named to chair the subcommittee on nutrition, specialty crops and agricultural research and Arkansas Sen John Boozman will run the subcommittee on commodities, risk management and trade.
Boozman said he would champion the needs of the agricultural community while working on reauthorization of CFTC. “Farmers, ranchers, and other end users did not cause the financial crisis, but unfortunately, they’re getting caught up in regulations that are aimed at large financial institutions. Farmers shouldn’t be unfairly subjected to the same regulations as speculators on Wall Street,” he said in a statement.