The first reorganization of the Agriculture Department in a generation may have to wait for the president who takes office in 15 months, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters this week.
Congress mandated the creation of an new USDA post, undersecretary for trade, in the 2014 farm. Ag Secretary Vilsack said that he has concerns about completing the job of establishing a new USDA undersecretary of trade and moving divisions within USDA before the Obama administration leaves office in January 2017. “It is not a simple matter. It is rather complex because trade involves a number of different mission areas,” according to The Hagstrom Report .
Shuffling mission areas within USDA would take a considerable amount of time to implement, Vilsack said, and raises the question of whether it is the Obama administration’s responsibility “to set the table for the next administration” to finish the job or to complete the process within the 15 months the administration still has left in office.
Congress told USDA to commission two studies and Vilsack said that USDA has not received the second study. “I haven’t made that decision,” Vislack said “I haven’t seen the second report.” He added that he is concerned about whether it is “appropriate or fair” for an administration to do something so “significant” without the next administration “having any involvement” in the decision-making.
