Another key USDA aide returns to the Hill
March 11, 2011 | 03:39 PM
The Obama administration has lost another key Agriculture Department aide to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.,
Among a series of Senate Agriculture Committee staff hires this week was Tina May, who has been legislative director in USDA’s office of congressional relations. She will be senior professional staffer for the committee.
May, an Iowa native who worked on conservation and energy issues during the 2008 farm bill, when Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chaired the committee, said in a brief conservation that she was happy at USDA, but wanted to return to the committee to help write the conservation title of next farm bill.
May’s decision falls in line with most analysts’ views that the real power in agriculture is on Capitol Hill, and that Congress tries to write the bill as tightly as possible rather than give USDA a lot of leeway in interpreting the law.
Earlier, Agriculture Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Jim Miller left USDA to return to the office of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Farm Service Agency Administrator Jonathan Coppess left to join Stabenow’s committee staff as general counsel.
Other committee staff and titles announced this week were:
Among a series of Senate Agriculture Committee staff hires this week was Tina May, who has been legislative director in USDA’s office of congressional relations. She will be senior professional staffer for the committee.
May, an Iowa native who worked on conservation and energy issues during the 2008 farm bill, when Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chaired the committee, said in a brief conservation that she was happy at USDA, but wanted to return to the committee to help write the conservation title of next farm bill.
May’s decision falls in line with most analysts’ views that the real power in agriculture is on Capitol Hill, and that Congress tries to write the bill as tightly as possible rather than give USDA a lot of leeway in interpreting the law.
Earlier, Agriculture Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Jim Miller left USDA to return to the office of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Farm Service Agency Administrator Jonathan Coppess left to join Stabenow’s committee staff as general counsel.
Other committee staff and titles announced this week were:
- Colleen Briggs, who has worked in Stabenow’s personal office on the Dodd-Frank bill and other matters, as economic policy adviser
- Corey Claussen, a former aide to Harkin and former Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., as a professional staffer focusing on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issues, dairy policy and bio-based products
- Bill Imbergamo, a longtime forest management specialist, as a senior professional staffer in charge of forestry
- Bart Kempf, who has handled environmental and energy issues on the committee staff, as senior counsel
- Catie Lee, who has been a staff assistant, as legislative aide
- Brandon McBride, as a senior professional staffer in charge rural development
- Jacqlyn Schneider, who handled the 2008 farm bill for Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. and worked for the Biotechnology Industry Association, as a senior professional staffer
- Karla Thieman, as a professional staffer in charge of livestock, food safety, research and energy issues
- Todd Wooten, the director of Southeast Climate Resource Center at Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University, as senior counsel.
