Record As Secretary of Agriculture
As the 27th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Veneman managed a department of 111,000 employees, the sixth-largest employer in the federal government, with personnel in more than 25,000 buildings around the world; a program level of $113 billion that would rank USDA sixth if it were a U.S. corporation; a spending level that ranks fifth in the federal government; a loan portfolio that would rank USDA seventh if it were a U.S. bank; and one of the most diverse and challenging missions across all of government. USDA has responsibility for farm, rural development, research, protection and conservation programs; international food and agriculture trade; the nation’s nutrition programs including school lunch and breakfast, food stamps and Women Infants and Children (WIC); and the U.S. Forest Service.
Sworn in as the first female Secretary of USDA on January 20, 2001, Veneman presided over one of the most historic times in American agriculture. Her tenure included record farm income, record agricultural exports and the creation of stronger pest and disease protection systems for the country.
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin said at Veneman’s confirmation hearing, "I was encouraged by the nomination of Ann Veneman to serve as Secretary of Agriculture. …She has solid experience and credentials in administering food and agriculture programs both here in Washington, rising to Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and in her home state of California, where she served as Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture."
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