The U.S. Senate has confirmed the appointment of a Holy Cross native to a key role in the USDA.
Alexis Taylor is now the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs in the USDA.
During a confirmation hearing in late September, Taylor told senators she’d work to remove trade barriers and ensure countries adhere to science-based regulations. Taylor also said she expects to work on the international food crisis created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley applauded Taylor’s confirmation. “Congratulations to Alexis Taylor on her confirmation to serve as the USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. With her experience and exceptional qualifications, Alexis is exactly the leader we need in this position – someone ready to hit the ground running, particularly because the Biden administration has thus far dropped the ball in filling critical trade positions. For the past two years, I’ve been urging President Biden to place more of a focus on trade issues to provide certainty and expand markets for farmers and producers. Alexis’s confirmation is certainly a step in the right direction, and it will be helpful to have a strong voice at USDA advocating for Iowa farmers who could be devastated by Mexico’s move to ban genetically-modified corn. I look forward to working with her on this and other important trade issues facing U.S. agriculture.”
Taylor grew up on a farm near Holy Cross in Dubuque County, graduated from Beckman Catholic High School in Dyersville and earned a political science degree from Iowa State University in 2005. She served in the Army Reserves and did a tour of duty in Iraq. Taylor, who was appointed director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture in 2016, previously worked in the USDA, overseeing the Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services division.
partial story contribution courtesy of Radio Iowa
