FEDERALhearing transcript

Review of USDA Organization and Program Administration

Original title: HEARINGS TO REVIEW USDA ORGANIZATION AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION

January 1, 2016

agriculture government oversight USDA federal agency administration

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing provides a record of how the USDA manages its various programs, which impact agricultural policy, rural development, food safety, and natural resource management across the United States.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

The agency's administrative structure and program management were subject to congressional oversight and review.

Agricultural producers and rural residents

These groups are served by the USDA programs and policies discussed during the oversight hearings.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document contains the transcripts and records from a two-day House Committee on Agriculture hearing held in September 2015. The committee reviewed the organizational structure and administrative operations of various agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Key Facts

The House Committee on Agriculture held hearings on September 15 and 16, 2015, to review USDA organization.
The hearings featured testimony from multiple USDA Under Secretaries and agency administrators.
Day one focused on Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, Natural Resources and Environment, and Research, Education, and Economics.
Day two focused on Rural Development, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and Food Safety.
The document includes prepared statements from witnesses and responses to submitted questions for the record.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of these hearings?

The hearings were conducted by the House Committee on Agriculture to review the organizational structure and administrative operations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Which USDA departments were reviewed?

The committee reviewed a wide range of departments, including Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, Natural Resources and Environment, Research, Education, and Economics, Rural Development, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and Food Safety.

Why It Matters

The hearing provides a record of how the USDA manages its various programs, which impact agricultural policy, rural development, food safety, and natural resource management across the United States.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

cross reference90% confidence

Comprehensive Agency Review

The hearing structure indicates a systematic, department-wide review of the USDA, covering nearly every major sub-agency over a two-day period.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Connected Entities

personCollin C. Peterson“Ranking Minority Member of the House Committee on Agriculture”Map →

personEdward M. Avalos“Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs”Map →

personRobert Bonnie“Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment”Map →

organizationU.S. Department of Agriculture“The federal department under review”Map →

personLisa Mensah“Under Secretary, Rural Development”Map →

personAlexis Taylor“Deputy Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services”Map →

personCatherine Woteki“Under Secretary, Research, Education, and Economics”Map →

personK. Michael Conaway“Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance40
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz5
Current news / social attention level

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