The Senate Ag Committee today held a hearing to consider the nominations of Dr. Basil Ivanhoe Gooden to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development and the Honorable Summer K. Mersinger to be a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
ASA has signed letters touting the qualifications for each nominee and urges swift full Senate confirmation.
Gooden previously served as Virginia’s secretary of agriculture and state USDA rural development director. In a letter to Senate Ag Committee leadership, the groups state that Gooden’s experience and values will help him succeed in this vital role.
“At this critical time, particularly as Congress works to reauthorize the farm bill, strong leadership at USDA Rural Development is essential,” the groups commented. “As the Rural Development portfolio has grown through recent investments through federal legislation, rural America deserves a tenured Under Secretary with on-the-ground expertise who will ensure the agency can make the greatest positive impact with its infrastructure, housing, rural business, and renewable energy programs.”
Mersinger was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be CFTC commissioner on March 28, 2022, and served out a term that has since expired. She previously served at the CFTC as director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs and, subsequently, as chief of staff to a previous commissioner. Mersinger also spent 15 years working on Capitol Hill in the both the House and Senate. “Commissioner Mersinger is well qualified to continue to serve on the Commission as it addresses a new era of developing issues, while carrying out the CFTC’s mission to promote the integrity, resilience, and vibrancy of the U.S. derivatives markets through sound regulation,” the groups state in a letter of support for her nomination.
