Obama kept Vilsack in cabinet with a bigger portfolio
President Obama dissuaded his longest-serving cabinet member, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, from quitting in late 2015 by putting Vilsack in charge of the administration's efforts to stem heroin and prescription opioid abuse in rural America, says the Washington Post. Vilsack felt rural issues were ignored in Washington and, after seven years on the job, there was little left for him to accomplish at USDA.
Will Vilsack be the 21st-century version of ‘Tama Jim’ Wilson?
Tom Vilsack is the longest-serving agriculture secretary in half a century, and there's already chatter about a continued role in government if Democrats retain control of the White House. "That will be up to Hillary Clinton," said Sen. Charles Grassley, who notes that fellow Iowan "Tama Jim" Wilson holds the record for cabinet tenure — 16 years.
Vilsack remains contender as Clinton nears VP choice
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is likely to campaign with her choice for vice president in Florida on Saturday, said the New York Times, listing Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack among the four men still under consideration for the job. Former president Bill Clinton "has privately expressed his support for Sen. Tim Kaine," said the newspaper.
Administration launches “Local Food, Local Places”
The Obama administration announced the "Local Food, Local Places" project to provide expert advice to rural communities to use local food systems as an engine for economic growth.