WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry, today issued the following statement after the vote to advance Stephen Vaden, the nominee to be General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Though this has not been an easy decision, today I voted to report Mr. Vaden out of Committee. With the 2018 Farm Bill right around the corner, it is critical that the Agriculture Committee continues to work in a bipartisan manner to fill leadership positions at USDA.
“However, I remain concerned about Mr. Vaden’s past legal work and certain personnel practices at USDA. I will be seeking more information about those issues before I can consider supporting Mr. Vaden on the floor.“
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