The House Agriculture Committee completed this week a two-day hearing series to review the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) organization and program administration. Over two days, members of the committee heard from 25 undersecretaries, administrators, and other department officials on topics relating to USDA’s seven mission areas, including an accounting for each area’s purpose and goals, programs administered, and annual budget.
“When I became chairman of the Agriculture Committee, I made a commitment to bring USDA officials before the committee and have them explain their budget and missions. The department carries out most of the laws enacted by this committee, so it makes sense for department officials to hear directly from members about our responsibilities and the issues and policies we care about,” Chairman Conaway said (R-TX) said. “It is equally important for committee members to see how these policies are implemented and what challenges, if any, USDA faces in implementing them. I want to thank Secretary Vilsack for making members of his team available to the committee and want to thank the witnesses for their testimony. I hope to continue this open dialogue moving forward.”
A link to the Webcast is here and the opening statement of Deputy Under Secretary of Food Safety Alfred Almanza is available here.
