New administration, new personnel
Jan 21, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC -- USA Rice has commended the nominations of three key Under Secretary positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, all of whom served during the first Trump administration.
The nominees are: Richard Fordyce to serve as the Under Secretary for Farm Production & Conservation; Dudley Hoskins to serve as the Under Secretary for Marketing & Regulatory Programs; and Luke Lindberg to serve as the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.
As alumni from President Trump’s first administration, all three of these nominees will be familiar faces for USA Rice staff and members.
“We would like to congratulate Richard, Dudley, and Luke on their nominations for these critical roles within USDA,” said USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann. “Richard and Dudley are both personal friends and I’ve seen their expertise and leadership firsthand. We worked with Luke briefly in 2020 while at ExIm Bank to help facilitate rice sales to Iraq but will get to know him better in the coming years. They all know their mission, they are very familiar with the work and responsibilities of the agencies within their mission areas, and they will be able to hit the ground running upon their confirmations. We are excited about the opportunity to work closely with them over the next four years.”
All three positions must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate following hearings and an affirmative vote by the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. USDA Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins is scheduled for her confirmation hearing with the Committee on January 23. Nominee for Deputy Secretary, Judge Stephen Vaden, has not yet had a date scheduled for his confirmation hearing.