Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Luis Guardia, President, Food Research & Action Center
WASHINGTON, February 2, 2021 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) congratulates Tom Vilsack, President Biden’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, on his confirmation hearing today before the Senate Agriculture Committee. The nominee received bipartisan praise from the panel. FRAC urges Senate leadership to bring Vilsack’s confirmation vote to the floor quickly in order to expedite the nation’s response to the deepening hunger crisis.
While at the helm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) during all eight years of the Obama administration, Secretary Vilsack demonstrated strong leadership in improving access to federal nutrition programs. With his solid experience and knowledge, along with the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to protect and strengthen the federal nutrition programs, the country can quickly implement a more comprehensive response to the nation’s hunger crisis, which has been deepened by COVID–19.
FRAC also congratulates our distinguished colleagues and long-time partners for their appointments to senior positions at USDA: Stacy Dean, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services; Katharine Ferguson, Chief of Staff; Sara Bleich, Senior Advisor, COVID-19; Kumar Chandran, Senior Advisor, Nutrition; and Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, Deputy Secretary.
Their rich program expertise, coupled with years of experience in the anti-hunger community, will provide these exceptional leaders with the background and tools needed to inspire swift and much-needed action to end hunger in America.
FRAC, and our nationwide network of anti-hunger advocates in the states, look forward to working with these exceedingly capable appointees and other talented policy experts in the Biden-Harris administration. Together, we can work to expand the reach of federal nutrition programs to ensure children, adults, and families get the nutrition they need for their health and well-being.
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For 50 years, the Food Research & Action Center has been the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.
