Trump expected to offer Loeffler agriculture secretary role

Washington | Reuters — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to offer former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler the agriculture secretary job in his administration, CNN reported on Friday.

Trump was due to meet with Loeffler on Friday afternoon at his Palm Beach, Florida, residence, CNN said. Reuters was not able to confirm the report.

Trump chose Loeffler, a staunch supporter and donor, to co-chair his inaugural committee after he won the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.

If confirmed, Loeffler would lead a 100,000-person agency with offices in every county in the country, whose remit includes farm and nutrition programs, forestry, home and farm lending, food safety, rural development, agricultural research, trade, and more.

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The nominee’s agenda would carry implications for American diets and wallets, both urban and rural. Department of Agriculture officials and staff negotiate trade deals, guide dietary recommendations, inspect meat, fight wildfires, support rural broadband, and much more.

Loeffler was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat from Georgia in 2019 to succeed former Senator Johnny Isakson, who retired. She lost it to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a special election in 2021.

During her stint in the U.S. Senate, Loeffler served briefly on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The U.S. Senate Ethics Committee in 2020 cleared Senator Loeffler of wrongdoing in connection with stock trades, her office said, after the wealthy Republican was criticized over share sales during the coronavirus outbreak.

Loeffler and her husband’s net worth has been estimated at more than $500 million.

If confirmed, Loeffler would advise the administration on how and whether to implement clean fuel tax credits for biofuels at a time when the sector is hoping to grow through the production of sustainable aviation fuel.

The nominee would also guide next year’s renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, in the shadow of disputes over Mexico’s attempt to bar imports of genetically modified corn and Canada’s dairy import quotas.

Trump has said he again plans to institute sweeping tariffs that are likely to affect the farm sector.

Loeffler, then a co-owner of the women’s basketball team Atlanta Dream, came under fire in 2020 when she sent a letter to the WNBA commissioner objecting to the league’s decision to campaign for racial justice and the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

Loeffler faced months of activism from WNBA players who called for her removal from the ownership team. The team was sold in 2021.