Progressives Denounce Biden Pick of “Mr. Monsanto” Tom Vilsack to Head USDA

"President-elect Joe Biden’s reported decision to nominate Tom Vilsack to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture was met with immediate backlash from progressives, who argued the former Iowa governor’s industry-friendly record as Obama’s USDA chief should have disqualified him from returning to the role.

A coalition of environmental organizations and sustainable farming advocates had urged Biden to choose Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to head the Agriculture Department, but the president-elect opted instead to nominate Fudge as his secretary of housing and urban development.

“Rep. Marcia Fudge would have been a historic first at USDA — a secretary on the side of everyday people, not corporate agriculture lobbyists,” George Goehl, director of progressive advocacy group People’s Action, said in a statement late Tuesday. Goehl called Biden’s selection of Vilsack “a terrible decision.”"
https://truthout.org/articles/progressives-denounce-biden-pick-of-mr-monsanto-tom-vilsack-to-head-usda/