The Senate Agriculture Committee cleared two nominations, James Hubbard for agriculture undersecretary for natural resources and Dan Berkovitz for CFTC commissioner, for a Senate vote on Tuesday. If confirmed, as expected, Hubbard would be the fifth of the eight-member team of senior executives to join Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at USDA.
President Trump has moved slower than his predecessors in filling policymaker posts in the federal government. The White House has yet to name its candidate to oversee USDA nutrition programs. It announced its nominee to oversee USDA meat-safety programs in May and a nominee for chief scientist in mid-July.
“The Senate Agriculture Committee continues to work together on a bipartisan basis to advance qualified nominees,” said chairman Pat Roberts and Sen Debbie Stabenow, the committee’s senior Democrat, after the panel met briefly to approve Berkovitz and Hubbard.