[Senate Hearing 111-244]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 111-244
HEARING TO CONSIDER THE NOMINATIONS
OF KRYSTA HARDEN, PEARLIE S. REED,
RAJIV J. SHAH, AND DALLAS P. TONSAGER
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE,
NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
MAY 7, 2009
__________
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.agriculture.senate.gov
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COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY
TOM HARKIN, Iowa, Chairman
PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota RICHARD G. LUGAR, Indiana
MAX BAUCUS, Montana THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas MITCH McCONNELL, Kentucky
DEBBIE A. STABENOW, Michigan PAT ROBERTS, Kansas
E. BENJAMIN NELSON, Nebraska MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa
ROBERT P. CASEY, Jr., Pennsylvania JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, New York
MICHAEL BENNET, Colorado
Mark Halverson, Majority Staff Director
Jessica L. Williams, Chief Clerk
Martha Scott Poindexter, Minority Staff Director
Vernie Hubert, Minority Chief Counsel
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing(s):
Hearing to Consider the Nominations of Krysta Harden, Pearlie S.
Reed, Rajiv J. Shah, and Dallas P. Tonsager.................... 1
----------
Thursday, May 7, 2009
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY SENATORS
Harkin, Hon. Tom, U.S. Senator from the State of Iowa, Chairman,
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.............. 1
Casey, Hon. Robert P., Jr., U.S. Senator from the State of
Pennsylvania................................................... 23
Chambliss, Hon. Saxby, U.S. Senator from the State of Georgia.... 2
Cochran, Hon. Thad, U.S. Senator from the State of Mississippi... 25
Klobuchar, Hon. Amy, U.S. Senator from the State of Minnesota.... 26
Lincoln, Hon. Blanche L., U.S. Senator from the State of Arkansas 11
Sandlin, Hon. Stephanie Herseth, a Representative in Congress
from the State of South Dakota................................. 4
Panel I
Harden, Krysta, Nominee, Assistant Secretary of Congressional
Relations, U.S. Department of Agriculture...................... 9
Reed, Pearlie S., Nominee, Assistant Secretary of Administration,
U.S. Department of Agriculture................................. 12
Shah, Rajiv J., M.D., Nominee, Under Secretary of Research,
Education and Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture........ 14
Tonsager,Dallas P., Nominee, Under Secretary of Rural
Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture.................... 6
----------
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
Thune, Hon. John............................................. 32
Harden, Krysta............................................... 33
Reed, Pearlie S.............................................. 36
Shah, Rajiv J................................................ 39
Tonsager, Dallas P........................................... 42
Document(s) Submitted for the Record:
Committee questionnaire and Office of Government Ethics
Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure
Report filed by Krysta Harden.............................. 48
Committee questionnaire and Office of Government Ethics
Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure
Report filed by Pearlie S. Reed............................ 62
Committee questionnaire and Office of Government Ethics
Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure
Report filed by Rajiv J. Shah.............................. 79
Committee questionnaire and Office of Government Ethics
Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure
Report filed by Dallas P. Tonsager......................... 99
Question and Answer:
Harkin, Hon. Tom:
Written questions to Pearlie S. Reed......................... 138
Written questions to Rajiv J. Shah........................... 139
Written questions to Dallas P. Tonsager...................... 145
Bennet, Hon. Michael:
Written questions to Krysta Harden........................... 137
Written questions to Dallas P. Tonsager...................... 153
Chambliss, Hon. Saxby:
Written questions to Rajiv J. Shah........................... 142
Written questions to Dallas P. Tonsager...................... 147
Grassley, Hon. Charles E.:
Written questions to Krysta Harden........................... 136
Written questions to Rajiv J. Shah........................... 143
Written questions to Dallas P. Tonsager...................... 153
Lincoln, Hon. Blanche L.:
Written questions to Rajiv J. Shah........................... 140
Nelson, Hon. Ben:
Written questions to Rajiv J. Shah........................... 142
Written questions to Dallas P. Tonsager...................... 148
Roberts, Hon. Pat:
Written questions to Dallas P. Tonsager...................... 149
Thune, Hon. John:
Written questions to Krysta Harden........................... 136
Written questions to Rajiv J. Shah........................... 143
Written questions to Dallas P. Tonsager...................... 151
Harden, Krysta:
Written response to questions from Hon. Charles E. Grassley.. 136
Written response to questions from Hon. John Thune........... 136
Written response to questions from Hon. Michael F. Bennet.... 137
Reed, Pearlie S.:
Written response to questions from Hon. Tom Harkin........... 138
Shah, Rajiv J.:
Written response to questions from Hon. Tom Harkin........... 139
Written response to questions from Hon. Blanche L. Lincoln... 140
Written response to questions from Hon. Saxby Chambliss...... 142
Written response to questions from Hon. Ben Nelson........... 142
Written response to questions from Hon. Charles E. Grassley.. 143
Written response to questions from Hon. John Thune........... 143
Tonsager, Dallas P.:
Written response to questions from Hon. Tom Harkin........... 145
Written response to questions from Hon. Saxby Chambliss...... 147
Written response to questions from Hon. Ben Nelson........... 148
Written response to questions from Hon. Pat Roberts.......... 149
Written response to questions from Hon. Charles E. Grassley.. 153
Written response to questions from Hon. John Thune........... 151
Written response to questions from Hon. Michael F. Bennet.... 153
Additional Material(s) Submitted for the Record:
Various organizations, letters of endorsement for Krysta
Harden..................................................... 156
Various organizations, letters of endorsement for Rajiv J.
Shah....................................................... 160
Various organizations, letters of endorsement for Dallas P.
Tonsager................................................... 162
HEARING TO CONSIDER THE NOMINATIONS
OF KRYSTA HARDEN, PEARLIE S. REED,
RAJIV J. SHAH, AND DALLAS P. TONSAGER
----------
Thursday, May 7, 2009
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Washington, DC
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:37 a.m., in
room SD-106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Tom Harkin,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Harkin, Lincoln, Casey, Klobuchar,
Bennet, Chambliss, Lugar, Cochran, Johanns, and Thune.
STATEMENT OF HON. TOM HARKIN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF
IOWA, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND
FORESTRY
Chairman Harkin. The Senate Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition and Forestry will come to order.
Today, the Committee meets to hear from four individuals
nominated by President Obama to important positions at the
Department of Agriculture: Dallas P. Tonsager for Under
Secretary for Rural Development; Krysta Harden for Assistant
Secretary for Congressional Relations; Pearlie S. Reed for
Assistant Secretary for Administration; and Rajiv J. Shah for
Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.
I will just make a few opening comments, but more formal
introductions will follow momentarily.
We will look to the new Under Secretary for Rural
Development for leadership and skill in helping our nation's
rural communities tackle some very big challenges, including
economic recession, job loss, lack of services, and aging
infrastructure. In combination, the New Farm Bill that we
passed last year, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, along
with the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the so-
called Stimulus Bill, contain important initiatives and
investments for USDA rural development to carry out.
Among the key objectives are supporting new and expanding
businesses, boosting renewable energy development, upgrading
outdated and deficient rural water and waste water systems,
expanding broadband telecommunications, and attracting new
public and private investments in rural America.
We rely on the Assistant Secretary for congressional
relations to keep the lines of communication open and to supply
us with the information we need for crafting legislation and
responding to the concerns of people that we serve.
Effective management by the Assistant Secretary for
Administration is, in practical terms, vital to the success of
every program, an undertaking at the Department of Agriculture.
Simply put, USDA cannot function without proper attention to
personnel, procurement and day-to-day operations.
The Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics
is now also the chief scientist at USDA with the responsibility
for carrying out USDA's own in-house research activities,
supporting research, education and extension at our nation's
state, land grant and other institutions, and maintaining
USDA's vital economics and statistics functions. The manifold
benefits of these activities extend throughout our society,
from abundant food and fiber to renewable energy, bio-based
materials, and a better way of life for all Americans.
So those are the four departments that we are looking at
today and the nominees for those. I have refrained from
mentioning their names because I know certain people want to
have the pleasure of introducing these individuals. And so I
will recognize individuals for the purposes of introduction.
But before I do that, I would like to yield to your ranking
member, Senator Chambliss, for his opening comments.
I recognize Senator Chambliss.
STATEMENT OF HON. SAXBY CHAMBLISS, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE
OF GEORGIA
Senator Chambliss. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
welcome to all of our nominees out there. We are very pleased
to see you here, pleased to see you willing to commit yourself
to America's farmers and ranchers, and we look forward to this
hearing today.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing to
consider the nominations of Mr. Tonsager, Dr. Shah, Mr. Reed
and Ms. Harden for appointments to USDA. I look forward to
hearing the testimony from each of you, and I know that you
would agree with me that it is vital that we have good
leadership in place at the Department to deal with the many
issues, including implementation of the Farm Bill and the
Recovery Act, as well as an important role in monitoring the
H1N1 virus outbreak.
I am pleased that during today's proceedings, we are
considering the Under Secretary for Rural Development. As our
country faces economic and financial hardships, our rural
citizens are certainly not exempt. And although 2008 saw a
record high of net farm income, recent Bureau of Labor
statistics show that rural counties are losing jobs at a faster
rate than their urban counterparts.
This is particularly true in rural areas that rely more on
the manufacturing sector than on the traditional farm income.
They have now lost nearly 5 percent of their job since the
recession began in December of 2007. This report is disturbing,
but I believe that the opportunities on the horizon have never
been brighter for rural America. And I am hopeful that 1 day in
the near future, the use of renewables, such as biomass, will
fulfill their potential of becoming a major source of energy
production.
This development will positively affect all our sectors of
rural America and the country at large through our businesses,
industries and consumers. The Rural Development Agency is
clearly in a position to assist in that effort in addition to
helping improve the overall quality of life for rural citizens
through the expansion of broadband access and support of basic
public facilities and services.
Mr. Tonsager, I can see that you have a deep breadth of
knowledge and experience in all things rural, from growing up
on a dairy farm to your public service as state director of
Rural Development in South Dakota, and most recently, serving
on the Farm Credit Administration Board of Directors. I look
forward to hearing your perspective on America's rural economy.
Dr. Shah, our nation's agricultural research system is held
up as a model for other countries. The Federal, state and local
investment in agricultural research, education and extension
has led to increased productivity and yields, new crop
varieties, and a multitude of techniques and practices to help
us preserve our natural resource base.
Today, this system is under strain. The entire system is
underfunded. Within the administration, USDA struggles for
budgetary support. In Congress, the system is pitted against
other funding priorities. The 2008 Farm Bill made significant
changes to some agricultural research programs. The changes
provide an opportunity for the agricultural research system to
rebuild and meet the challenges of the 21st century.
As you undertake this task in your role of under secretary
and chief scientist of the Department, I encourage you to work
with Congress and get to know the land-grant universities and
the USDA research agencies because we are all partners in this
effort. Please do not let these challenges get you down. You
have a good system and good people already in place, and they
need a champion. And I hope you are ready to be that champion,
and I look forward to working with you.
Mr. Reed, you have spent more than 30 years at USDA, and I
am pleased that you are willing to return to public service at
the Department once again. The office for which you are
nominated is a tremendous responsibility, and you will be
responsible for providing departmental leadership on a variety
of management services essential to the direction and operation
of the Department's mission and goals.
Perhaps the most critical role you will have involves the
protection and well-being of the Department's greatest
resource, its employees. USDA employees nationwide will count
on you to act in their best interest and provide them an
environment to effectively and efficiently serve our
constituents. We appreciate your interest in serving.
Mr. Chairman, I will hold my remarks regarding Krysta
Harden for when I have the pleasure of introducing her to the
Committee. So thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Senator Chambliss.
We are joined today by our distinguished colleague from the
House side, a very distinguished member of the House
Agriculture Committee and here for the purposes of
introductions. And that is the way we will go. We will start
with Mr. Tonsager, then Ms. Harden, and then Mr. Reed, and then
Dr. Shah.
So we welcome Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin to the
Committee, and I would yield to you for purposes of an
introduction.
STATEMENT OF HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA
Ms. Sandlin. Chairman Harkin, Senator Chambliss and members
of the Committee, thank you very much for allowing me the
opportunity to introduce a fellow South Dakotan and my very
good friend, Mr. Dallas Tonsager, as the Senate Agriculture
Committee considers his nomination for the United States
Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural
Development.
Together with Senator Johnson, who, unfortunately, could
not be here in person with us today, we are pleased to support
Dallas' nomination and recommend him wholeheartedly for this
position. I can think of no one better qualified for this
important appointment than Dallas. He brings to this position
an extraordinary work ethic and a history of working in a
bipartisan fashion for the betterment of rural America.
I have known Dallas, his wife, Sharon, and their sons for
many years. And I know that Dallas is widely respected in no
small part because of his constructive approach, his informed
and innovative ideas, and his honest, forthright communication.
His advice, counsel and creative thinking have served many
policymakers, including me, over the years.
In partnership with his brother, Doug, Dallas owns Plain
View Farm in Oldham, South Dakota, a family operation that
includes corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. His family farming
roots and extensive leadership experience will substantially
contribute to shaping a rural agenda that bolsters and enhances
our rural communities and to seizing opportunities for rural
America to help solve many of the challenges facing our country
today; at the same time, creating jobs for the next generation
of Americans who choose to live and raise their families in
rural communities.
Dallas has held board positions on the Farm Credit
Administration and Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation and
contributed to economic development as the executive director
of the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Development Center.
He was appointed by President Clinton as the South Dakota
State Rural Development Director in 1993 and was named one of
two outstanding state directors by USDA in 1999. As president
of the South Dakota Farmers Union, Dallas worked to advance
farming and ranching priorities and to preserve the quality of
life in rural America. His record speaks for itself with
respect to the accomplishments and progress he has achieved.
I am confident that Dallas would be among the strongest
assets that USDA could have in helping to implement the
priorities of President Obama's administration. Further, our
rural communities, rural businesses, and rural citizens will
surely benefit from having Dallas as their advocate, and I urge
the members of this committee and the Senate to confirm Dallas
Tonsager's nomination.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Congresswoman. I
appreciate your being here for this introduction.
Here is the way we will proceed. First of all, I have to
administer and oath and ask a question to all of you. We will
hear Mr. Tonsager's opening statement. I will then yield to
Senator Chambliss for an introduction and a statement, and then
Senator Lincoln for Mr. Reed and a statement, and then Senator
Cantwell, who is on her way, will be here for purposes of
introduction.
So if I could ask all four of you to rise; raise your right
hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth?
Mr. Tonsager. Yes.
Ms. Harden. Yes.
Mr. Reed. Yes.
Mr. Shah. Yes.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you.
Do you agree that if confirmed, you will appear before any
duly constituted committee of the Congress if asked?
Mr. Tonsager?
Mr. Tonsager. Yes.
Chairman Harkin. Ms. Harden?
Ms. Harden. Yes.
Chairman Harkin. Mr. Reed?
Mr. Reed. Yes.
Chairman Harkin. Dr. Shah?
Mr. Shah. Yes.
Chairman Harkin. Please be seated. Thank you very much.
Well, Mr. Tonsager, a great introduction. Welcome. You are
not too much of a stranger to this committee. Welcome back, I
should say. And before you start your statement, perhaps you
would like to introduce your family that is here.
I ask all, because they have great families here, and we
would like to know who you have got here.
Mr. Tonsager. Thank you, Senator. And, yes, I would very
much like to, if I could.
First of all, my wife, Sharon; my son, Keith, and his wife,
Lindsey; my son, Joshua; my sister-in-law, Sharon, as well; my
brother, Dennis; my sister, Diane; and my brother, Douglas, who
actually does the work in our family.
Chairman Harkin. Welcome here. Welcome, everybody. Thank
you for coming.
[Applause.]
Chairman Harkin. I could make some crack about is there
anyone left in South Dakota, but I will refrain.
[Laughter.]
Chairman Harkin. I will refrain.
Please proceed, Mr. Tonsager.
And all of your statements will be made part of the record
in their entirety. If you would like to sum up, we would
appreciate that.
Mr. Tonsager.
Mr. Tonsager. Thank you very much, Senator.
TESTIMONY OF DALLAS P. TONSAGER, NOMINEE, UNDER SECRETARY OF
RURAL DEVELOPMENT, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Mr. Tonsager. Thank you, Chairman Harkin, Senator
Chambliss, members of the Committee. It is a privilege to sit
before the Committee, which continues to provide the leadership
and foresight for the benefit of all agriculture and rural
America. Specifically, I want to acknowledge your leadership,
Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Chambliss, and should I be
confirmed, I will enjoy working with you to improve the quality
of life for rural Americans.
I also want to thank our good friend, Congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, for her introduction today. I have
learned a great deal about how to help rural communities by
watching Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin's leadership in South
Dakota.
Thank you, Stephanie.
It is an honor to appear before you today as President
Obama's choice to be the next Under Secretary of Rural
Development at the United States Department of Agriculture.
Now, here is the part where I would have put my family in,
Senator, so thank you for letting me do that in advance.
It is indeed a great honor and privilege to be selected by
President Obama to carry out his vision for the revitalization
of rural America, and I am excited by the opportunity to serve
with Secretary Vilsack, who is a strong advocate for America's
agricultural producers and defender of rural residents
throughout this country. My enthusiasm is tempered only by the
realization of the challenges rural Americans face everyday
with lost jobs, disappearing essential services, out-migration,
and crumbling infrastructure.
We find ourselves in difficult times. President Obama's
vision for America is aggressive and will take commitment,
sacrifice and perseverance to be successful. I want the members
of this committee to know that if you should confirm me, I will
accept this responsibility.
Mr. Chairman, I am not telling you, or the members of the
Committee, anything you do not already recognize. You know all
too well the challenges we face in addressing the needs of the
50 million Americans residing in our small towns and rural
communities. The Farm Bill written by this committee and passed
last year, and the stimulus packaged passed earlier this year,
provide the foundation and funding for many of the president's
initiatives.
The president has rolled out an appropriately ambitious and
multifaceted plan to stimulate the faltering economy. In the
area of rural economic development, the president's vision
focuses on several important goals. First and foremost, the
funding provided in the stimulus package to rural development
will be allocated as quickly as possible and at the same time,
ensuring that it is ordered in a fair, transparent and
responsible manner.
Renewable energy is not only critically important for the
rural economy, it is important for the entire U.S. economy and
national security. The burgeoning renewable energy industries
will grow the U.S. economy, make the U.S. more energy
independent, and help address climate change. USDA rural
development has a number of programs to advance renewable
technologies that will bring skilled jobs to rural communities.
Broadband access to rural residents is also a key to
bringing important services to rural residents and providing
skilled jobs. Thanks to this committee's insistence, the
stimulus package provided significant additional funding for
the development of broadband access. I know that this is an
important issue for the members of this committee.
In all of these areas, I pledge to work with you and your
staffs to ensure that we identify the communities with the
greatest need.
Of course, rural development has many other programs that
will aid rural residents in their communities so that we can
thrive and prosper. Rural development has a strong portfolio of
housing community facilities, business, and utility programs
that provide the building blocks for community development.
Agriculture and rural communities are dependent upon one
another. It is my experience that farmer-owned, value-added
enterprises can breathe new life into small towns and
communities. Rural development's cooperative services and the
value-added programs provide the agriculture producers the tool
to work together to receive the maximum value from their land
and their labor and bring their jobs to a community.
It takes teamwork and cooperation to be successful,
especially within rural development. If confirmed, I will work
to bring all parties to the table: community leaders, planning
districts, councils of governments, cooperative development
centers, community development corporations, land-grant
universities, and others to develop projects and successful
development strategies.
As a former state director for rural development, I know
and have worked with the employees at USDA's Rural Development
and have great respect for the work they do and their
dedication to the mission of rural economic development. If
confirmed, I will look forward to rejoining my former
colleagues, and together we will do our very best to find
solutions to the challenges rural communities face. I will be a
tireless advocate for the constituents we are all sworn to
serve.
With that in mind, I also want to emphasize my commitment
to working to resolve any outstanding civil rights claims,
whether in program or employment practices. If confirmed, I
will not tolerate any form of discrimination in the agencies
that I will be leading, and I will look forward to working with
Secretary Vilsack to address this very important issue.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, as a farmer and lifelong resident of
a rural community, as a South Dakota rural development director
during the Clinton administration, as an executive director for
the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Center, and currently
as a Farm Credit Administration board member, I have spent most
of my professional adult life in and around agriculture and
rural communities and, challenges notwithstanding, if
confirmed, I look forward to rolling up my sleeves to do what I
can to renew the hopes of rural Americans everywhere, so that
America, specifically rural America, will once again prosper.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Tonsager can be found on
page 42 in the appendix.]
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Mr. Tonsager.
Again, we will withhold questions until everyone's made
their statements.
Now, I will yield to our distinguished ranking member,
Senator Chambliss, for purposes, again, of an introduction of
someone who is certainly not a stranger around here.
Senator Chambliss. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And Krysta Harden is not a stranger to this crowd. She has been
on the Hill for many years, went off the Hill, and is now
willing to come back. And we are very pleased about that. And I
know she will introduce her family, but I know her because of
her family.
Her husband, Congressman Charles Hatcher, has been my dear
friend for longer than he and I either care to disclose in
public here. But we practiced law with and against each other
in South Georgia for many years, and he is a great guy and a
dear friend.
I see her sister, JaBra, back there.
JaBra, it is great to see you. Glad to have you here
supporting Krysta.
I actually met Krysta Harden in 1980, while we were both
working on Charles' campaign for his first run at Congress, in
which he was successful because of Krysta.
[Laughter.]
Senator Chambliss. She proceeded on to graduate from the
University of Georgia. She is a great loyal Georgia Bulldog,
but she also is a huge baseball fan. One thing I remember about
Krysta is that she told me one time during the 1980's that she
was putting her name in to buy Washington baseball tickets with
the hope that 1 day that we would have a baseball team in
Washington. So she got in line early.
She grew up on a farm in Mitchell County, Georgia. Her
parents, Jamie and Jimmie--or Hard Rock, as we know him--Harden
are just salt-of-the-earth people. And Jimmie is a hardworking
farmer, and Krysta knows what hard work on a farm is all about.
And she certainly knows agriculture inside and out from a
grassroots perspective.
She served on Charles' staff for many years; ultimately
became his chief staff, then went to the committee and served
as staff director on the committee, dealing primarily with
peanuts and tobacco back, then, when tobacco was a program.
She went downtown for a while, and then now, in 2004,
became the director of the National Association of Conservation
Districts. And she has done a great job down there. She has a
real passion, Mr. Chairman, along with you, for conservation.
And I am very pleased to see someone with her experience, her
passion, her commitment to agriculture, and her energy, which
is unbelievable, to be willing to come to the Department.
She will have a very important role with this Committee
because she is going to be responsible for interacting with us
on a regular daily basis, and it is going to be a real pleasure
to work with her.
Krysta, we are pleased to have you here, pleased to have
you being willing to come back into public service.
Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to present to the Committee
Krysta Harden.
Chairman Harkin. Very good.
Well, Ms. Harden, again, while I do not share that long
history, we do share some history in the more recent past. But
I share the sentiments expressed by my friend and my colleague.
Welcome to the Committee. And even though he has introduced
your family, go ahead and do it for me so we recognize them.
TESTIMONY OF KRYSTA HARDEN, NOMINEE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Ms. Harden. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Senator Chambliss.
My husband, Charles Hatcher, which Senator Chambliss
introduced, right there; and my baby sister, JaBra Harden from
Valdosta, Georgia.
[Applause.]
Ms. Harden. I have been saying baby sister her whole life,
so she is probably not happy.
It is with great pride and pleasure that I am here today
before the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee as a
nominee for Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations.
Senator Chambliss, who would have ever thought, when we
first met, that either one of us would be here today in these
roles? It is such an honor. It is just a special, special honor
to have you introduce me before the Committee today. I
appreciate your leadership, and your friendship, especially.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It has been a pleasure to work
with you on many issues impacting agriculture. I enjoyed my
years working with soybean growers, a lot of them from your
state, and I learned a great deal about agriculture and
conservation from you and your constituents.
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chambliss, and members of the Committee,
I come before you with an open mind and a willingness to work
with each and every one of you. I will be responsive to your
requests and respectful of your concerns and questions. And
while I will not always have the answers you seek, and
certainly your positions on issues may differ from those of
USDA leadership, I will be fair and honest and straightforward
in my dealings with you and your staff. I know that successful
relationships are two way. There must be open communication, a
sharing of information, and trust between parties. If
confirmed, I pledge to do my part in making sure that happens.
I truly look forward to strengthening old relationships and
building some new ones.
As the Committee considers my nomination for this position,
I hope you will take into account my record, my experiences, my
commitment of service to the Congress, as well as the functions
and missions of the Department of Agriculture.
As a daughter of a Georgia farm family, I have a very
strong appreciation for American agriculture. I know firsthand
the challenges that farmers and ranchers face trying to make a
living in today's tough economic climate. I also know that
those who work the land are diligent and innovative enough to
continue to advance agriculture, for my almost 12 years as a
staffer on Capitol Hill gives me a clear understanding of the
pressures and demands of your jobs. I know the value of prompt
attention to your questions and concerns, and the importance of
listening to and learning about each of your states' unique
situations.
I also believe that my experience in the private sector has
helped me prepare for this role. I have worked with landowners
from every state and territory. I have traveled extensively and
seen the variety and diversity of agriculture. I have been
involved in a wide range of issues, including conservation,
renewable energy, nutrition, research, and forestry. I look
forward to working with each of you to make sure our policies
are forward-thinking and keep American agriculture competitive.
I am keenly aware of the many challenges we face, including
implementation of the 2008 Farm Bill, getting economic recovery
dollars on the ground, addressing lasting implications of
recent disasters, defining agriculture's role in climate
change, reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act, and the list
goes on and on. But I feel confident that my upbringing, my
experience and my passion for the land, and those who work the
land everyday, make me right for this position.
I look forward to assisting Secretary Vilsack with his
strong commitment to civil rights at the Department. It is
crucial that our programs and policies are fair, open for full
participation, and provide service to all constituencies. If
confirmed, I pledge to have an open door. I will do all that I
can to ensure that everyone has access to the same information,
and discrimination in any form is not tolerated.
I know, Mr. Chairman, it is totally unlikely I will ever
win an Academy Award for anything because I am not an actor,
you know. So I hope you will allow me just a few minutes to
thank a couple of people who are responsible for me being here
today.
Certainly, the first person is President Obama, who is
nominating me for this position, and Secretary Vilsack, who is
allowing me to serve if confirmed. I also want to thank my
sweet husband, Charles Hatcher, who has taught me so many
things, including that public service is an honor and a
privilege and should never be abused or taken for granted; that
working in a bipartisan manner is a tradition in agriculture
and that compromise can be a good thing.
Thank you, Charles, for your important lessons, your love
and your support.
I also want to thank my wonderful parents, Jamie and Jimmie
Harden, who are at home in Camilla, Georgia, hopefully watching
me via Internet, which is hard to believe, but that is true,
even in rural south Georgia; and my sister, JaBra Harden
Fuller, who you met. Thank you to the three of them for always
being there for me, guiding me, loving me, and supporting me.
I would also like to recognize a couple young boys that are
here, have taken the day off from school for me; my godson,
Henry Mitchell, and his brother, Campbell, who are behaving
very nicely back there.
I would like to thank some folks who have helped shaped my
professional life. First, my friends and colleagues on and off
Capitol Hill, many are in the room today; and my colleagues at
Gordley Associates; and, certainly, the leaders and staff of
the National Association of Conservation Districts, where I
have spent the last 5 years of my career. I especially want to
recognize Steve Robinson, the president of NACD, who is here
from Ohio.
Thank you all for your help and support.
Mr. Chairman, Senator Chambliss, if recommended by the
Committee and confirmed by the Senate, I pledge to serve as
Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations with honor and
respect. I look forward to working with you. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Harden can be found on page
33 in the appendix.]
Chairman Harkin. Thank you, Ms. Harden. And, again, it has
been a real pleasure to work with you in various capacities in
the past. And I would be remiss if I did not say I welcome your
husband back here, my former colleague on the House Agriculture
Committee. We served together for a few years on the House
Agriculture Committee before I came over here. So it is good to
see Charlie again. Thank you very much. This is going to be
very good.
Now, I will turn to Senator Lincoln for an introduction of
another person who is not very much of a stranger around here.
Senator Lincoln.
STATEMENT OF HON. BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF ARKANSAS
Senator Lincoln. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to you
and Senator Chambliss both for bringing this group before us
today. I want to say a special thanks to Ms. Harden, because as
a farmer's daughter myself, I am glad to know that we will have
someone over there that has spent a lifetime really admiring
what farm families do across this great country. So we
appreciate that.
But, Mr. Chairman, I am here today very proud to introduce
a fellow Arkansan, Pearlie Reed, who has been nominated by the
Obama administration for Assistant Secretary for the
Administration at USDA. As you have mentioned, Pearlie is
certainly no stranger. He has a track record in public service
and working in USDA that few people can match, Mr. Chairman.
And Pearlie's story starts in Heth, Arkansas.
Now, Pearlie, you may not know this, but Senator Bennet
from Colorado is married to a woman from Marianna, Arkansas.
And so, we have got Phillips, Lee and St. Francis County well
represented here before the Senate Agriculture Committee.
[Laughter.]
Senator Lincoln. But Pearlie's story does start in Heth,
Arkansas. It is a small town in the Mississippi Delta. In those
counties that I mentioned, Pearlie is well known, for sure. He
attained is undergraduate degree from the University of
Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Incredibly, he began his 32-year career
with USDA as a student trainee in 1968. From there, he worked
his way up as a conservation professional, and was eventually
named chief of the National Resource Conservation Service in
1998, and served in that capacity until 2002. He has made all
of us in Arkansas extremely proud. He also served as acting
assistant secretary for Administration, where he provided
leadership to more than 300 employees on the Civil Rights
Action Team.
Pearlie's accomplishments have not gone un-noticed, Mr.
Chairman. He was awarded the Presidential Rank Award, the
highest award for career government officials. Pearlie has
accomplished much. His stellar record speaks for itself, Mr.
Chairman. Some might ask what is there for him to accomplish at
USDA, and everyone in this room knows that USDA faces some
enormous challenges in serving producers and ranchers across
the country.
Should he be confirmed, Mr. Chairman, Pearlie's experience,
his wisdom, his passion and his background will be an
invaluable asset in confronting those challenges head on. And
he certainly has my full support, and I am proud to call
Pearlie not only a colleague from Arkansas, but a friend, and
we are delighted to have him here in the Committee.
Good luck, Pearlie. Congratulations.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Senator. And, Mr.
Reed, again, welcome back to the Committee from appearances in
the past, and, again, recognize you for an opening statement
and introduction of family members who may be with you.
TESTIMONY OF PEARLIE S. REED, NOMINEE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Mr. Reed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have one family
member, the boss, my spouse, Lesia.
[Applause.]
Mr. Reed. Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Chambliss, and
members of the Committee, I am pleased to have this opportunity
to appear before you today. A special thank you to Senator
Lincoln for that kind introduction. I would also like to thank
all of those who have been responsible for my success in life,
especially my family and the many great men and women who have
served with during my career at USDA.
I thank President Obama and Secretary Vilsack for their
vote of confidence manifested in my nomination for the position
of Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration.
Secretary Vilsack has shared with me his vision for USDA. I
understand and believe in what he would like to accomplish. If
confirmed, I will be 100 percent committed to ensuring that the
management apparatus of the Department is focused on the
efficient and effective delivery of programs and services USDA-
wide.
I have worked and lived in four of the major regions of our
great country, the Southeast, Mid-West and West. I have had two
tours of duty in USDA Headquarters in Washington. During my
career in and out of government, I have seen all sides of USDA,
the excellent, the good, the bad and the ugly. I have had a
remarkable career, rising from a Grade GS-03 to be the chief of
the National Resources Conservation Service. Also, from 1997 to
1998, I served as acting assistant secretary for
Administration, the position I am now being nominated for. I
have also served as state conservationist for Maryland and
California.
I took advantage of training, self-development and other
opportunities made available to me by USDA. I do not know of
any other organization where I could have accomplished more,
and because of these opportunities and my background, I feel
that I am uniquely qualified to help USDA. And if confirmed, I
will work tirelessly with Secretary Vilsack, his leadership
team, the Congress and stakeholders to improve USDA.
I fully understand the complexities of the Department of
Agriculture. The complexity is compounded by the massive
structure of USDA field-based agencies and the system of state
and county commissions and boards. The management of the
Department much ensure that the delivery of programs and
services impacted by this system is made available to all who
qualify.
It is with this in mind that I want to emphasize my
commitment to resolving outstanding civil rights claims and any
discriminatory employment practices. I believe that if we work
together, many of the challenges we currently face we can
correct.
The management agenda of the Department must include an
aggressive investment in its human capital. The development and
selection of top talent are paramount. If confirmed, I will use
all authorities available to USDA to pursue excellence in human
resources management. In addition, I believe that all
departmental administration areas are important. If confirmed,
I will ensure that departmental administration is providing the
services needed to underpin the effective and efficient
delivery of USDA programs and services.
I will conclude by, once again, thanking President Obama
and Secretary Vilsack for their confidence in me, and also
thank you, Mr. Chairman, Senator Chambliss, and members of the
Committee, for the opportunity to appear there today.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Reed can be found on page 36
in the appendix.]
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Mr. Reed, and we will
hold the questions for final introduction. And, for that I
will, to introduce Dr. Shah, turn to our distinguished
colleague from the state of Washington, Senator Cantwell.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Ranking
Member Chambliss, and members of the Committee, for holding
this important hearing. And I am pleased to be here to
introduce Dr. Raj Shah, and I urge my colleagues to swiftly
confirm him as the next Under Secretary for Research, Education
and Economics at the United States Department of Agriculture.
Raj has an extremely impressive resume that equips him for
success at the Department of Agriculture. He earned him M.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Science in
Health Economics at the Wharton School of Business. He has
attended the London School of Economics, the University of
Michigan, and has published several articles on the health
policy and global development.
Currently, Raj is the director of Agriculture Development
and Global Development Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation. In this position, he has worked with some of the
poorest farmers in the world to help them improve productivity
and their standard of living. Raj has also served as the
foundation's director of Strategic Opportunities and as deputy
director of Policy for Finance for Global Health Programs. In
these roles, he has helped launch the Global Development
Program and International Finance Facility for Immunization, an
effort that has raised more than $5 billion for child
immunization.
Raj has the tools, the knowledge, and the unique global
perspective necessary to excel as Under Secretary of Research,
Education and Economics at USDA. In his new role, Raj would
oversee the agricultural research service and cooperative state
research education and extension services and several other
important research agencies within USDA. I am glad that
President Obama has recognized Raj's work at the Gates
Foundation, which will allow him to bring that unique
perspective and point of view to USDA.
Raj is well aware of the power of research to transform and
improve the lives of everyone. Raj has previously worked with
the University of Washington, in Washington State, on many
projects related to animal and human health, and his past
commitment to various services shows that he will bring
dedication to the USDA to produce the best agricultural science
in the world.
I am confident that he will do all that he can to ensure
the United States continues to be a leader in agricultural
research, especially research in the areas of advanced biofuels
and bioengineering. I hope that we can work with the Committee
to successfully move his nomination to the floor, so that all
my colleagues can quickly confirm his nomination. I thank the
Chairman for this ability to introduce him before the
Agriculture Committee.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Senator Cantwell.
Dr. Shah, welcome to the Committee. I might just add for
the record that I was privy to spend a pleasant evening with
Dr. Shah last year. And it was a very enlightening evening
because we were talking about health and what Dr. Shah was
doing with the Gates Foundation. So it was a very pleasant
revelation when later on, I found out that you had been
nominated for this position.
So congratulations, welcome, and if you would introduce
your family members who are with you so we could recognize
them.
Dr. Shah.
TESTIMONY OF RAJIV J. SHAH, M.D., NOMINEE, UNDER SECRETARY OF
RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ECONOMICS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE
Mr. Shah. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do have a large family
with me today. So my wife, Shivam Mallick Shah behind me; my 1-
year-old daughter, Amna, who is sleeping over here; my son,
Sajan, who out of deference for the Committee today wanted to
wear a shirt with a truck on it, but we convinced him
otherwise.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Shah. My mother and father, Rina and Janard [ph.]; and
my in-laws just behind them, Kamala and Isha Mallick.
Chairman Harkin. Well, thank you very much.
[Applause.]
Mr. Shah. Mr. Chairman, Senator Chambliss, members of the
Committee, I am honored to be nominated by President Obama to
this position, and I appreciate Secretary Vilsack's confidence
in me in his invitation to join his leadership team.
Thank you, Senator Cantwell, for that very kind
introduction and for your commitment to the people of
Washington State. It is always fun to think about the great
work that is happening in Washington State on agricultural
research and any number of other scientific endeavors.
I am excited by the opportunity to lead the research
portfolios of the Department at a time when this work touches
so many of our national challenges: agricultural production,
nutrition, food safety, energy independence, and the
sustainability of our natural resources. I also recognize the
responsibilities of serving as the chief scientist at USDA.
President Obama has often emphasized his commitment to ensure
decision making is based on scientific evidence, and if
confirmed, I will seek to carry out that mandate.
In my work at the Gates Foundation, I have had the
opportunity to meet agricultural scientists from around the
world, and I have drawn inspiration from many of them. One of
my heroes is Dr. Norman Borlaug, the only agricultural
scientist to win the Nobel Peace Prize--perhaps there should
have been many others--for his use of science to help prevent
widespread starvation. His life is a testament to the fact that
effective agricultural research, coupled with the determination
to make the world a better place, can help address our most
pressing challenges at home and abroad.
These challenges have been stated clearly by Secretary
Vilsack. Food production must meet the needs of a world
population that will exceed 9 billion in 2050, and it must do
so while taking into account a warming planet and the need to
use nitrogen, water and other inputs, far more efficiently.
Agriculture, including forestry, has the potential to
provide a sustainable source of energy at a time when the
president, the secretary and members of this committee have
highlighted the need for our nation to work toward energy
independence. Second and third-generation biofuels and advanced
biomass strategies are critical to that endeavor.
Americans following the leadership of this committee are
increasingly aware of the critical links between agriculture
and human health. All Americans rely on strong agricultural
science as it relates to the safety of our food supplies,
protection against animal diseases, including zoonotic diseases
that transmit from animals to humans, and the critical role
that a healthy, nutritious diet can play in preventing
debilitating chronic disease, diseases like obesity, diabetes
and hypertension.
We can and should do more to identify these links, connect
to the health community, and work to ensure every American can
identify and access a healthy diet. In 1977, this committee
changed its name, as you know, to add nutrition. If confirmed,
I hope to benefit from your ongoing guidance in carrying out
this mandate.
Last year, an additional nearly 100 million people entered
into extreme poverty around the world, resulting in nearly 1
billion people going hungry. President Obama has called for our
agricultural research, education and aid institutions to work
together to demonstrate American leadership in preventing
global hunger. If confirmed, I will seek your guidance on how
to contribute to this goal.
With the founding of the Land-Grant University System in
1862 and the critically important 1890 schools, the United
States became the world leader in agricultural production,
based on the strength of its research and by linking research,
education and extension.
The Agricultural Research Service, which developed the
original method for large-scale production of penicillin, and
did so in time for its use in World War II, also has a storied
history. Last year, this committee laid the groundwork for
taking this leadership into the future by creating the National
Institute of Food and Agriculture. Establishing a new national
institute is a unique opportunity to create a strategic focused
and results-oriented research enterprise. I believe there are
important lessons to be learned from the National Institutes of
Health and the National Science Foundation in carrying out this
task, and if confirmed, I look forward to working with the
Committee to implement this important provision of the Farm
Bill. The Economic Research Service and National Agricultural
Statistical Service also represent critical assets at any
effort to make research and policy relevant to American
producers and consumers.
I share Secretary Vilsack's commitment to addressing civil
rights concerns as a top priority for this Department. And also
share the secretary's aspiration to modernize the Department's
technology platforms. If confirmed, I hope to use these new
technologies to improve the transparency and outcomes of the
research investments we made.
I became a medical doctor to care for and, hopefully, heal
individuals. I quickly became absorbed in broader issues of
public health, as I felt that was a path to serve larger
populations. That path has given me a lot of great
opportunities to help address child obesity in the Philadelphia
schools, to help children in poor countries gain access to
life-saving immunizations, and, most recently, to launch an
agricultural development program to address the global crisis
of extreme hunger and rural poverty.
In each area, I have tried to learn from others, be
pragmatic and fact-based in the pursuit of solutions, and stay
focused on the goal of making a difference in people's lives.
If confirmed, I hope to bring that same spirit of learning,
energy for service, and commitment to outcome to this position.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, the Ranking Member, and the
Committee for the opportunity to appear before you today. I,
again, want to thank President Obama and Secretary Vilsack for
their confidence, and my wife, Shivam, whose support allows me
to embrace this important challenge and opportunity. Thank you
very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Shah can be found on page 39
in the appendix.]
Chairman Harkin. Dr. Shah, thank you very much for your
statement, and all of you.
He has a pending engagement; he has to leave, so I will
yield now to Senator Chambliss.
Senator Chambliss. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman,
and I apologize for having to step out and do a radio show, but
thanks for letting me go first.
Mr. Tonsager--am I saying that right?
Mr. Tonsager. Yes, sir.
Senator Chambliss. If you are confirmed, you will oversee
all of the rural development mission area. The rural electric
programs are vital to the nation, and especially to my home
state. In Georgia, my electric co-ops, as well as the municipal
systems, are what we call MEAG and Georgia Power.
If teamed up to be a new nuclear power facility on an
existing site, what is known as Plant Vogtle, since nuclear
power is a non-carbon emitting source of power, it would seem
to me that this project would be a perfect candidate for our
U.S. baseload financing.
Can I get a commitment from you to work to re-establish
baseload financing for nuclear power at RUS?
Mr. Tonsager. I am not entirely familiar with the issue
relative to that at this time. I understand that there are
prohibitions in place regarding the use of financing for
nuclear power or coal-based power through the rural utility
service. I would be anxious to work with you to go further on
the issue because I am a great fan of the rural electrical
systems, and I know the needs regarding baseload power and the
problems associated with baseload power.
Senator Chambliss. Well, I appreciate that. It is
unfortunate we did not build more nuclear plants 20 years ago
because it has turned out to be the most efficient, cleanest
way we can produce it. And going forward, I think it is going
to be important for rural America that we are able to provide
them that clean, efficient power. And nuclear seems to be the
best way.
Ms. Harden, rather than a question, it is just a comment to
you. There is no more important position than yours when it
comes to dialoguing with members of this committee, as well as
other Members of Congress. You have vast experience that lends
you to be very well-qualified there.
I was pleased to hear you say that you recognize there are
going to be differences. You had your difference with
administrations that were in place when you served on the Hill,
and Secretary, or now Senator Johanns, and I had significant
differences from time to time when he was at the Department.
But we were always able to work through them, and we worked
through them because of the dialog.
I have no doubt you are going to be very efficient in
staying in touch with folks on both sides of the aisle here.
And, again, I just thank you for your willingness to serve and
let Charles go play golf more often or something there.
Ms. Harden. I think he will enjoy that. And I am certain
that my private line will be on your speed dial.
Senator Chambliss. It will be.
Mr. Reed, again, thank you for your commitment. You are
going to be overseeing a very important function that I have a
significant interest in and Senator Harkin and I have talked
about over the course of the last several years, and that is
trying to make sure that we get our IT updated within our FSA
offices.
We have got farmers who sit in their tractors now, and with
their GPS's, they kind of mash a button and the tractor puts
out all the fertilizer that they need, in the right spots they
need, at the amounts that are needed. And they have got to go
down to the FSA office, rather than sit at their computer, and
fill out all their forms by hand.
We have got to move away from that. We are in a true IT
age, and we have not made the commitment that we need to make
to provide you with the resources to do this. But I hope you
will continue to oversee that, and you will let us know what
those resource needs are, so that we can move in a positive
direction relative to the IT world and agriculture.
Dr. Shah, I am a huge fan of research. I do not care
whether it is agriculture, medicine or defense areas. I think
it is foundation of where farmers are going to be 20 years from
now, and it is just critically important that we continue to
maintain a good source, from a funding standpoint as well as
otherwise.
I was pleased to hear the president set an ambitious goal
of devoting more than 3 percent of GDP to research and
development in a statement he made not long ago, but,
unfortunately, I did not hear him mention agricultural research
in there.
I would like to ask you for your commitment to lean on the
administration to ensure that agriculture gets its fair share,
from a resource standpoint, from the administration when it
comes to budgeting agricultural research along with other areas
of research.
Mr. Shah. I absolutely can offer that commitment. I believe
if the agricultural research community, as it already does, can
continue to provide a high level of scientific rigor in the
decisions that it makes about resource allocation, and focus
the work on achieving important results for producers and also
for consumers, and be more transparent in the process, that it
should be possible to advocate for that type of increased
commitment to agricultural research.
Senator Chambliss. Thank you very much. And again, thanks
to all of you for your willingness to serve.
Thanks, The Chairman.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Senator Chambliss.
Mr. Tonsager, again, in the stimulus bill that we put out,
we put in $2.5 billion to get broadband out as fast as
possible, $2.5 billion. Now, the public comment period is still
open--I do not know when it is closing, but pretty soon I
hope--and this is something that has not been really
aggressively pursued for the last several years.
If confirmed, will you work to get economic recovery
funding on the ground as quickly as possible, again, while
maintaining accountability and transparency, to ensure that
these taxpayer dollars are being invested as effectively and
efficiently, but as rapidly as possible, to get broadband out
as soon as we can?
Mr. Tonsager. Absolutely. I think it is extremely important
we move as quickly as we can. I think we need to coordinate our
efforts closely with the NTIA and develop clear understandings
with them about getting the resources out. I think it is very
important we look at affordability for those users of broadband
access in rural areas, and try to make it as affordable as
possible, so it is not only available but it is accessible by
those people who have the resources or the need to use
broadband communications.
Chairman Harkin. I am glad that Ms. Harden's folks must
have broadband where you are.
Ms. Harden. We just got it.
Chairman Harkin. But I am still chafing. I live in a town
of 160 people, and I still do not have it. So we have got it
out. Maybe not the towns, but we have got to get it out to our
rural communities.
Mr. Tonsager. I believe that it is certainly one of the top
priorities for me walking into this, to address this quickly as
possible.
Chairman Harkin. I appreciate that.
Again, Ms. Harden, thank you again very much for your
willingness to serve and for all of your past working with us
here. As head of congressional relations now, I do not know if
I can add anything, except that when that over committee over
on the House side, when they call you up about something, just
tell them you have got to check with us first. OK?
[Laughter.]
Ms. Harden. I will try that. I will see if it works.
Thank you, sir.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Ms. Harden.
Mr. Reed, as a follow up on that question that Senator
Chambliss said, we put $50 million mandatory funding for FSA
computers, and then we put 22 million in fiscal year 09
appropriations, and 50 more million in the Recovery Bill, the
Stimulus Bill. So we need to get these upgraded as soon as
possible. I just want to get those figures out there, that that
money's there, and we have to get this done as soon as
possible.
But the one thing I just want to cover, Mr. Reed, is a
program that we started in the 2002 Farm Bill. There is a
provision in that farm bill, which is permanent law, which
states--well, I don't know if I can--it basically says that
every department and agency of the Federal Government shall
give a priority to bio-based products in their purchasing, as
long as they are equivalent in price performance and
availability.
Well, we have been pushing this for a long time. We have
had hearings on it. The Department of Defense had a wonderful
couple days--what will I call it, fair or something like that,
for people to come in and exhibit what they had. But we still
have not gone too far. We had a labeling program to label it.
That was established in 2002, and we still do not have it. We
still do not have a labeling program for that.
Secretary Vilsack, when he was here for his nomination,
said that the program is a priority, and I know since that
time, he has reached out to the other departments. He has
brought it up in a cabinet meeting at the White House. I know
that other secretaries did not even know they had that
responsibility, but they do. It is in permanent law, and does
not say ``may'', it says ``shall''. So it applies to every
department and every agency.
So I guess my question to you is, would you be willing to
personally champion expeditious implementation of this bio-
based markets program, including the labeling program?
Mr. Reed. Absolutely, Mr. Chairman. I have already taken a
look at that, and I know that from a USDA perspective, we can
and need to employ all of the procurement authorities we have
to do as much as we possibly can at USDA. And, also, I see it
as my role, if confirmed, to make sure that I keep abreast of
what is going on governmentwide and work with Secretary Vilsack
so that he knows and understands, from an operating, practical
level, what is going on and where we might have opportunities
to take--where we might have the opportunity to take advantage
of ratcheting up the focus on the 2002 Farm Bill.
Chairman Harkin. Mr. Reed, would you be willing to have
USDA report back to this committee within 90 days, that is 3
months from now, of taking office, so we can learn of the
progress that you are making on this? This is something that
has just been sitting there for far too long, and we have got
to get hot on it.
So I would like to ask if you would come up here in 3
months--that would be the end of the summer sometime, maybe--
let's see. This is May, June, July, end of July, maybe even the
first of September, something like that, to report on that?
Mr. Reed. So ordered.
Chairman Harkin. All right. Thank you. I appreciate that
very much.
Dr. Shah, again, thank you for your willingness to serve
and take over this important position. Someone noted--I do not
know who it was--our middle name is nutrition. And we have a
big responsibility this year--the only thing that we really
have to do in this committee, aside from nominations, is we
have to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Bill. That is school
lunch, school breakfast, the WIC program, afterschool, summer
feeding programs, and the adult and child care food programs.
We are working closely with the House--it is not on the
House Agriculture Committee, it is in the House, Education and
Labor Committee. But we have jurisdiction here. And we need
your best input into that and your help, so that we can have
the best science and the best research that is available to us
from the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of
Medicine and others to make sure that we get better food,
better quality of food for our kids in school, and updating the
nutritional standards, which have not been updated in almost 30
years. And a lot has changed in 30 years.
So I just want your assurances that you will be working
with us closely as we reauthorize this bill to give us the best
possible science that we can get to apply to this.
Mr. Shah. Thank you. I absolutely can offer that assurance.
As you note, the science community, whether on the economic
research side or the agricultural research side, has a
tremendous amount to offer through this reauthorization and to
support those programs.
I also thank you for mentioning the linkages to the health
community and the health research community, where a lot of
that work does also take place. And one of my aspirations is to
help build those bridges in an effective way to further our
collective goals.
With respect to updating the standards, I hope to be able
to work with members of the Committee to understand how to most
effectively do that with a real science-based approach. So,
thank you, and absolutely.
Chairman Harkin. You bet. Thank you very much, Dr. Shah.
Now, I will yield to Senator Lugar.
Senator Lugar. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. My
comments and questions are directed to Mr. Tonsager and Dr.
Shah. They arise from a specific recommendation recently by the
head of EPA taking a look at corn ethanol and its environmental
effects. The predicament is this.
For many years, starting with President Bush, now with
President Obama, presidents and everyone else have said we have
a dependence upon imported oil, which is dangerous in terms of
our strategic position in the world. Agriculture stepped
forward and said that, Mr. President, in both cases, we can be
helpful. And the first attempt was with corn ethanol. And we
have talked, all of us, about cellulosic ethanol for the last
10 years; although, the past administration did not move very
rapidly in terms of research funds; had them appropriated by
all of this, but simply could not get through the bureaucracy.
I hope that will not be case with the current administration
and the Department of Energy.
But my point currently is that on top of all of this, EPA
has come up with a strange ruling that the 20 percent benefit
that would come from ethanol as opposed to the regular gasoline
formulations is not going to be met because corn that otherwise
would have been available for foreign countries to feed people
would not be available to them because it is being used for
corn ethanol in the United States. Therefore, these foreign
countries will chop down trees, will do environmentally
unsatisfactory things, all based upon the supposition that corn
would not be exported to them, which, on the face of this, is
ridiculous.
The point that I am hopeful you are able to make at USDA is
that American agriculture can rise in productivity to meet
whatever challenges there are in an export market. As a corn
farmer, I know our livelihood is dependent, for years, on our
ability to export. We are desirous of feeding the world if we
can, but the world is so bollixed up in terms of the rural
trade system to begin with, even moving the corn is very
difficult.
But to counter back that, somehow or other, we are
responsible as corn farmers for the chopping down of the trees
of Brazil or anyplace else is, on the face of it, ludicrous.
And I make that comment, I suppose, with some reserve because I
found the whole--this is outrageous.
Here we are attempting in agriculture, with biofuels, to
make a difference in national security, and having some
success, and also having many obstacles, given the ups and
downs of the price of oil, the differentials and so forth in
the markets. And the reliance upon biofuels is well taken, and
we have already mandated that in legislation we passed in 2007,
but without the research, we have a few thousand gallons of it
somewhere. This is not a replacement in terms of the hundreds
of billions of gallons that we are supposed to be coming
forward with.
Now, what I would ask either of you is, first of all, I
presume your cognizant of the problem, the EPA ruling most
recently. And, second, what can we do at USDA so that, first of
all, the rest of the government is informed as to what actually
happens in terms of productivity and agriculture; our desire to
feed, our desire also to provide energy for our country to
displace imported oil?
I think these are vital objectives.
Mr. Tonsager, do you have a comment? And then Dr. Shah.
Mr. Tonsager. I cannot speak to the science aspects of
this. I have not read the ruling or the summary of the ruling
at this time. But I can speak to the economic aspects of rural
America because I have been intimately involved with ethanol
for many years, of course, as you have, Senator.
From my perspective, what I want to see us do is make sure
we build an economically sustainable, alternative energy
system, including corn-based ethanol, cellulosic ethanol,
biofuels, as broadly and as logically and sensibly as we can.
Even now during my time at the Farm Credit administration, I
get to see the economic challenges that it is currently faced
with as a system, and I still believe greatly in the economic
opportunities associated with that. And I can assure you, our
agency will be heavily involved in working with the biofuels
industry from the economic perspective.
Senator Lugar. Great.
Dr. Shah?
Mr. Shah. Thank you. I, too, am aware of the problem,
perhaps more from the science and production aspects than from
the rural economic aspects. And so, I look forward to working
with my colleagues because I think this is the kind of problem
that requires that cooperation.
Meeting the renewable fuel targets broadly, of course, will
require increased contributions from Agriculture. I am glad to
hear the way you framed the comments about cellulosic
technology. There clearly are research opportunities to help
develop new technologies that will power second and third-
generation biofuels to help fill the gaps, and what people
estimate will be the gaps, on the renewable fuel targets.
I think that will require a more focused and results-
oriented approach with the research funding and also public/
private partnerships since some of the best research on those
programs might be happening in other parts of the world and in
other sectors outside of the pure public sector or university
system.
With respect to agriculture productivity, I think you are
absolutely right. I was visiting a program at the University of
Nebraska at Lincoln, and they are getting significant yield
improvements on experimental stations, and doing it with a real
focus on nitrogen and water-use efficiency. So without being
very responsible on the use of inputs and being more precision
oriented in their production, they are getting significant
yield improvements. That seems to me like the kind of research
that will enable a broader and more successful future in this
area, and it ought to be supported broadly where it is being
done very well.
Senator Lugar. Thank you, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Senator Lugar.
Senator Thune also has another engagement he has to leave
for, but I wanted to recognize him for the purposes of a
statement and other things right now.
Senator Thune.
Senator Thune. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do not want to
get in the way. I know you have other people who have been
waiting here.
I want to associate myself with the comments from the
Senator from Indiana with regard to that issue. I absolutely
agree with everything you said.
I do want to thank all our nominees for their willingness
to serve. We look forward to working with each of you in your
new positions. This is an important time for agriculture. I
particularly want to recognize a fellow South Dakotan, Dallas
Tonsager.
Congratulations to you, Dallas. He is someone I have worked
with for a long time. He has held a number of important
positions in our state that give him great experience for this
job. And most importantly, he is a farmer, so he relates, I
think, to the day-to-day challenges that we face in
agriculture.
So I would like to submit a statement, if I could, for the
record, Mr. Chairman. But I do want to recognize our noms,
thank them for their service, and look forward to working with
each of you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Hon. John Thune can be found on
page 32 in the appendix.]
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Senator Thune.
Now, I will turn to Senator Casey.
STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA
Senator Casey. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. and I
want to thank each and all of the nominees for your willingness
to serve, your commitment to public service, and that of your
families. That is one of the reasons why Chairman Harkin and
other chairmen in the Senate recognize family members, is
because we know when you make a commitment to public service,
you do not do it alone, and that commitment is shared by your
family. So we are grateful for that.
I, like many members of this committee, look forward to
getting Department of Agriculture, the Department itself I
should say, fully staffed so the Department can continue
working on so many of the issues we are here to discuss today.
The nominees before the Committee today will be in charge
of agencies and missionaries that are critical to families
struggling to make a living in rural Pennsylvania, as well as
rural America. For our farmers, that means, unfortunately, in
this economy, dropping prices and other challenges they have in
their lives; the affordability of risk-management loans and
tools to protect farmers from disasters; and for families
living in rural communities across Pennsylvania and across the
country, it means installing broadband service throughout a
state like ours, as well as the country. We need upgrades to
rural hospitals, keeping country roads and sewer systems
operating, and other types of rural development. So we all know
that agriculture itself is not immune to the global and
national economic crisis.
We have the opportunity at hearings like this to be able to
associate ourselves more directly with witnesses. And I was
pleased that Senator Cantwell was able to provide that
connection to Dr. Shah. I also want to make a connection, and I
wanted to do it in my time. I did not want to have the
Committee's time used for this because it is my preference to
do this.
So, Dr. Shah, I want the record to reflect that you have
two degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton
School and the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine,
two very challenging assignments to get degrees from both of
those institutions. So we are grateful. And I know you also
helped Governor Rendell in his transition. He has had several
good years as our Governor, and I know you were part of that
early work. Let me start with you not only for that reason, but
that connection helps.
I wanted to talk to you about, just for a moment in the
limited time we have, dairy farmers. We have had a terrible
problem in our state, where so many dairy farmers have lost not
just income; they have lost their livelihood, destroyed,
hundred and hundreds, year after year.
One of the areas of responsibility that you would have upon
confirmation is the Economic Research Service as well as the
National Agricultural Statistical Service, and you made
reference in your statement to both, I believe, or at least
one.
These two agencies could help us calculate the
reimbursement to dairy farmers for problems we had a couple of
years ago, in particular, 2006-2007, and the milk powder
reporting problems that cost dairy farmers millions of dollars.
Is there anything you can say about that, just
parenthetically, by way of a statement on the record, to ask
you to work with us on this challenge, as well as your
colleagues, because it is a problem I know that Secretary
Vilsack is well aware of, the general challenge that dairy
farmers have.
But, in particular, is there anything you can say about it
today or supplement the record?
Mr. Shah. Well, thank you for your comment and your kind
additional introduction. I have a lot of faith and support from
Pennsylvania, and I love spending a lot of time there. And I
spent a lot of time there because school took me a while.
I do think I would like to follow up on that very
specifically with your staff and with your office.
Senator Casey. OK.
Mr. Shah. It is clear the ERS and NASS both contribute to
that, and there are, perhaps, other resources within the
research portfolios that could both retrospectively look at
that and make those calculations as you have defined, but also
identify research priorities that can be supportive of that
general industry, both in Pennsylvania and in other places. And
so, I have done more work on productivity and production in
that area, but look forward to learning more about that
specific issue with you and your team.
Senator Casey. Thanks very much. And I hope someday, you
are able to move back to Pennsylvania.
Mr. Shah. Thank you.
Senator Casey. To live and to pay taxes and all.
[Laughter.]
Senator Casey. We are grateful. Thank you, Doctor.
I know I only have very limited time. Maybe I will submit
this question for the record just for Mr. Tonsager.
Senator Casey. The question pertains to not just rural
development, more broadly, but, in particular, strategies that
I know you have thought about and will be able to implement to
get targeted economic assistance or economic revitalization
assistance. I know a good bit of that is in the Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, but I just wanted to put that on your plate
even though I am out of time. Maybe we will submit it for the
record, so you could provide the Committee with an answer.
Thank you very much.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you, Senator Casey.
Senator Cochran.
STATEMENT OF HON. THAD COCHRAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF
MISSISSIPPI
Senator Cochran. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Let me join you
and others in congratulating this impressive panel of nominees
to serve in very important, high positions in the Department of
Agriculture. I have been impressed with the comments that I
have heard today from our witnesses, and I am glad to have an
opportunity to personally congratulate you on your nominations,
and assure you that we want to partner with you in helping to
identify ways to help sustain the economic vitality of farms
and ranches across America, and also help ensure that we remain
competitive in the international marketplace.
So much of what our farmers and ranchers produce, products
that come from our farms, our sold in the international
marketplace. I know that is particularly true in some of the
traditional southern crops and other activities, even
agricultural activities. And we are also involved in
competition from other countries who are competing with us for
new markets and to deal with the challenges of having not only
nutritious and sound products to sell, but also making sure
that they are priced at a competitive level.
So I am here just to wish you well.
I was very impressed reading the background of Mr.
Tonsager. You have, obviously, had a tremendous amount of
personal experience, and your educational background certainly
seems to me to make you an ideal person to be selected to serve
in this important position. So we look forward to working with
you.
Krysta Harden I have known for a good while. Her husband,
Charles, and I got to know each other when I was a member of
the House of Representatives, and that seems like a long, long
time ago when our paths would cross in the House of
Representatives. But I am confident you have the ability and
the background. Your experience here working in the Senate, as
well as in the House, makes it very clear to me that you are an
excellent choice to be Assistant Secretary for Congressional
Relations, and I look forward to a close working relationship
during your service at the Department.
Pearlie Reed is a name that has been well known down in the
south for a good while. He is from our neighboring state of
Arkansas, and he has a lot of friends in Mississippi, and he is
highly regarded. And I am glad to be here today to welcome you
and to compliment you on your previous service. Obviously, you
have done a good job; people know about it. And you have been
asked and called on to serve again at the Department, and we
appreciate your willingness to do that and wish you well.
Dr. Shah, I was quite impressed with your background and
your testimony today. I am very impressed with the challenges
that you understand we have in the area of research, education
and economics. You will come to know, if you do not already
have these pieces of information, that our state is very
heavily engaged in agricultural research, not only the land-
grant university assets and resources we have, but a lot of
individual targeted research programs are located in our state.
Aquaculture is one of them, but in many other areas, too, we
are heavily engaged. And so, I know our paths will cross often,
and I look forward to getting to know you better. And I
congratulate on your selection and wish you well. I hope you
derive a great deal of satisfaction in the opportunities you
will have at the Department of Agriculture.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Harkin. Thank you very much, Senator Cochran.
Senator Klobuchar, I would just note that a roll-call vote
was just called at 11:53.
Senator Klobuchar.
STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA
Senator Klobuchar. OK. I think I can make it.
Well, congratulations to all of you. I did notice, Dr.
Shah, that when Senator Casey was talking about all of your
credentials, your daughter woke up, so she must have a good
idea for that or for Pennsylvania.
I wanted to talk a little bit about, first of all, the H1N1
virus. Just so you know, our state, the make up of our
agriculture, we are No. 1 in the country for turkeys, little
did you know; No. 3 for hogs. We, obviously, have a lot of
crops and a very vibrant alternative energy economy. We have an
aggressive renewable electricity standard, 25 percent by 2025,
so we have done a lot with wind and solar in our rural areas as
well as biofuels. We are one of the leading states with
biofuels.
So we have a pretty well-rounded agricultural sector, in
addition to food processing with Schwans and food companies,
General Mills. We are ninth in the country for Fortune 500
companies. So we have a broad economy in our state.
But one of the things that has been very damaging for our
pork producers has been the name, which I will not say, of the
flu, which we call the H1N1 flu. And I wonder, Ms. Harden, with
your role with congressional relations, if you could talk a
little bit about how we can stop this from happening again,
where, one--and maybe, Dr. Shah, you can confirm this, the fact
that you cannot get this flu from eating bacon, which is what I
served this morning at my Minnesota breakfast to prove the
point----
Ms. Harden. Good for you.
Senator Klobuchar [continuing]. Or from any kind of pork.
But how do we stop--the same thing happened to peppers with
the salmonella scare, when it turned out it was peppers. And
the tomato industry got in trouble when it was not tomatoes.
Could you please comment on that?
Ms. Harden. Well, I think if I had the perfect answer, I
would be pretty rich and not need to go to the USDA. But I
agree that we need to get our arms around it very quickly and
work very aggressively to make sure education is out there and
that research is made aware, and the facts.
Obviously, the other name, the common name, is an easy buzz
word that the press glommed on to. I think the president and
the secretary should be commended, as well as the members of
this committee and Members of Congress, to call it by its
official name and encourage the press to do so, and the public.
But it was a little late it seems because the name had stuck.
So I think we do have to be much more aggressive in getting
the word out, making sure that all of you have the information
firsthand in what is going on, quickly, so you can get the word
out to your press and your states and work very aggressively to
make sure we are getting the education and the word out there
through our research department and our nutrition department as
well.
Senator Klobuchar. OK.
Dr. Shah?
Mr. Shah. Well, thank you. I agree with your sentiments and
would just add that I think the principle of strong science
underpinning the communications statements we make on issues
like this is critically important.
In this particular case, I just in Seattle got a lot of the
information around this particular issue from CDC briefings.
And I think one of the opportunities will be building very
strong linkages between the agricultural research communities
and the CDC and other agencies like that, so that if more
people are watching and learning from that kind of a vehicle,
that they are communicating the types of things that are
consistent with sound, interagency science. So I think building
those linkages becomes very important to underpinning a strong
communication strategy, but the science seems very clear.
I would also just add, in terms of your comments about
Minnesota, that I have had the opportunity to work with great
crop scientists, and wheat and other crops, and also with
economic modeling teams at the university there. And they
really are outstanding and doing some of the best work in the
world on those issues.
Senator Klobuchar. And you mentioned Norman Borlaug, who
did a lot----
Mr. Shah. Of course.
Senator Klobuchar [continuing]. Of his work at the
University of Minnesota and some work in Iowa as well.
The other thing, just along these lines of some of the
cutting-edge work in Minnesota, is the University of
Minnesota's ability to catch the cause of a lot of the problems
we have had with food safety, whether it was the University of
Minnesota that traced it and the Minnesota health department
did a peanut issue. Then, we also had the salmonella I just
mentioned from the peppers. That was also traced by the
Minnesota group.
I do not want to spend our time right now talking about
that, but I hope you will look into that model. Senator Durbin
and I and others, on a bipartisan basis, have worked on this
food safety bill. And we are going to be hoping to have, as
part of that, some of these regional models of how to catch
these things sooner where the problems arise, as well as, you
know, the USDA has done some good work with food safety. And we
have this problem with the FDA, and we need to figure out how
to merge these two systems. So I just wanted to put that on
your radar screen.
Just one last question, Mr. Tonsager, on the broadband. You
were asked about the broadband and the speed of getting the
broadband out.
Can you talk about how you are going to coordinate with the
other program coming out of Commerce with those broadband
grants, and if you have talked about that yet, from your perch,
with rural development?
Mr. Tonsager. Of course, until we get the opportunity to go
there and learn a little more, it will be difficult. I do have
personal relationships with people involved with the NTIA,
working, and so I am hopeful that that will work well with
them. And I am very excited about the opportunity that,
perhaps, Jonathan Adelstein will get to join me at the RUS.
Jonathan's background----
Senator Klobuchar. I know him.
Mr. Tonsager [continuing]. Old friend of mine, Jonathan as
well, that I know he brings great capacity to that area.
I would like to get into the dialog quite a ways before
really saying how we might do it. It just strikes me that there
are similarities to other kinds of things we have done in the
past, especially in the other utility programs, about
affordability for people in more remote areas that might be
more economically challenged.
So, from my perspective, I will probably start with that in
the discussion, how do we make it affordable to people as well,
not just available, but so they can use it well. And I think
that is an important aspect to bring to it.
But I believe that there is a great opportunity to
coordinate with Commerce and with the NTIA, and working
together with that. I think Secretary Vilsack has been actively
engaged in dialogs regarding communications, from what I have
heard, so I am excited that we can work closely with the other
entity that has received resources. But I do know that the
service to the rural areas is the mission of our deed, and I
want to make sure that we are fully engaged with that as
quickly as possible.
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you. Because Senator Thune and I,
and a few others here, I think, serve on both Agriculture and
Commerce, so we will be able to be the intersection of making
sure these programs are coordinated.
Mr. Tonsager. I am sure we have to get service to Murdo,
South Dakota before John will be particularly happy.
Senator Klobuchar. All right. I could give you some even
smaller towns in Minnesota. Thank you very much.
Congratulations to all of you.
Chairman Harkin. Well, listen, thank you all very much for
all of your past things that you have done on behalf of
agriculture and health in America. Congratulations on your
appointments. We look forward to working with you.
Again, I want to join with what Senator Casey said. When
you enter public life like this, it is a family affair; no
doubt about it. Spouses and families are involved in this in
many ways, and so I want to thank all your family members.
Dr. Shah, I see your dad has got the 8-month-old
granddaughter in his arms back there. I have an 8-month-old
granddaughter, so it appeals to me very much.
But thank you all for being willing to serve. We look
forward to working with you.
I would just state for the record that we would like to
have all written questions from members of the Committee in by
5 this afternoon so that we can get those questions to you and
you could respond. And, hopefully, we will be able to report
your names out of the Committee rapidly and get you down to
work as soon as possible.
With that, if there are no further questions, we have got
to go vote. Thank you very much. The Committee will stand
adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:03 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
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A P P E N D I X
May 7, 2009
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