President-elect Donald Trump has selected 13 of the 15 nominees for the cabinet. “He’s been on a tear,” says The Washington Post. The remaining slots are secretary of Agriculture and of Veterans Affairs. There hasn’t been much talk about USDA since Republican activists objected to Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, being considered for the post.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says there’s been little contact from the Trump transition team. “It’s a little puzzling why, given the magnitude and the reach of this department, that people haven’t been more engaged, given the opportunity to learn,” Vilsack said in an audio interview with Agri-Pulse, transcribed in part by Mother Jones.
Over the past 40 years, the average date for announcement of the nominee for agriculture secretary is Dec. 17. Usually, there are few signals in advance of who it is. More than a dozen names have been mentioned in print as possibilities for Trump.
Vilsack, a former two-term governor of Iowa, is the third in a string of active or former governors to run USDA. Preceding them was Ann Veneman, a former deputy agriculture secretary, and three members of the U.S. House.
“Trump’s proposed Cabinet would be far less diverse than those of the past three presidents when they first took office,” says Huffington Post. Only three nominees so far are not white men: Ben Carson, for Housing, Elaine Chao, for Transportation, and Betsy DeVos, for Education.