Just days after announcing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will likely have to wait until September to fill several high-level positions, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue took action to temporarily fill the seats.
On Friday, June 16, Perdue named three acting deputy under secretaries to serve until the Senate confirms the permanent presidentially-nominated appointees.
“We continue our progress of making USDA the most effective, the most efficient and the best managed department in the U.S. government,” Perdue said. “These three career USDA employees have already shown the leadership and expertise needed to deliver the highest quality service to our customers—the people of American agriculture. I welcome them to the leadership team, and I thank them for their dedication to agriculture.”
Jason Hafemeister has been named acting deputy under secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Until now, he’s served as the acting deputy under secretary for Farming and Foreign Agricultural Services.
Dr. Robert Johansson will serve as the acting deputy under secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. He will also continue to be the USDA’s chief economist, a position he has held since July 2015.
The Farm Production and Conservation area will focus on domestic issues, according to USDA. The Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service all fall under this umbrella.
Dan Jiron is now acting deputy under secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, where he will oversee the U.S. Forest Service. He previously served as the associate chief of the Forest Service.
The three new appointees join Anne Hazlett, who was recently selected to lead the Rural Development agencies within USDA.
She is now the assistant to the secretary for Rural Development. The elevated role of rural development fulfills a promise Perdue made when announcing a reorganization at USDA.
Last week, Perdue told senators six nominees submitted to the White House for roles at USDA still await a background check from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and clearance from the ethics office.
At least 15 executive posts at USDA lack permanent office holders. Until someone is named to each position, a senior civil servant fills each role.
Perdue predicted the Senate won’t be able to approve any of the nominees until after its August recess due to the delays.