WASHINGTON DC — On Saturday, August 2, the U.S. Senate confirmed Luke Lindberg as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA) with a vote of 77-18.
Lindberg was most recently the president and CEO of South Dakota Trade and served as the chief strategy officer and chief of staff at the Export Import Bank during the first Trump Administration.
In his April Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Lindberg emphasized that free trade agreements and interagency collaboration—including with the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the Departments of Commerce and Treasury—are vital to reversing the trade imbalance and restoring global competitiveness to U.S. agriculture. He also recognized the role commodity groups play in prioritizing the trade barriers that stand in the way of turning the ag trade deficit into a surplus.
“We’re excited to see Luke’s nomination finally get approved by the full Senate,” said Karah Janevicius, USA Rice director of international trade policy. “It’s important for the U.S. rice industry to have key trade personnel in place as the Trump Administration acts to reverse the agricultural trade deficit. The TFAA under secretary role is critical to support not only the policies being negotiated but the promotional funds we use in key markets around the world.”
While at South Dakota Trade, Lindberg led trade missions to Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, and Israel – all important markets for U.S. rice exports. Lindberg holds degrees in government, public policy, and business administration from the University of Maryland.
“We look forward to working with Under Secretary Lindberg as we strive to eliminate trade distorting tariff and non-tariff barriers, and expand on promotions in our key markets,” said Janevicius.