Agriculture Secretary is one of only two cabinet level positions yet to be named by President-elect Donald Trump. This week new names have come to the forefront including former Texas Ag Commissioner Susan Combs and former Texas A & M President Elsa Murano, who Trump will meet with next week. Bill Northey, Iowa’s Ag Secretary and a member of the Trump Ag Advisory Committee, says he’s not sure why the process is taking so long or what the President elect is looking for in a Secretary.
Rural America helped get Donald Trump elected so there is pressure for him to get this nomination right. And Northey agrees the vetting process is very strategic.
However, he says time is of the essence because the new Ag Secretary will need to immediately start assembling his or her team to run the USDA.
North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp was reportedly Trump’s top pick, but it looks like she may not take the position and instead opt for a re-election run in two years.
Politico speculates a decision will not be made until early January.
