Washington DC Update

September 30, 2021

On Thursday, the Senate passed a Continuing Resolution on a vote of 65-35.  The continuing resolution will maintain spending at current levels while allowing Congress until Dec 3 to work out an agreement on a broader spending package or enact another Continuing Resolution.  An earlier attempt to pass a Continuing Resolution failed because it included a provision which would waive the debt limit.  The bill also includes $10 billion for agriculture producer assistance for 2020 and 2021 losses.  Senate approval sends the Continuing Resolution to the House where it is expected to be expeditiously passed and sent to the President for approval to avoid a government shutdown at midnight.

Appointments—

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the names of individuals who will hold key staff positions in Washington, D.C.  They include the following:

Linda Delgado was appointed Senior Advisor in the Office of the Secretary.  Delgado most recently served as the Director of Government Affairs at Oxfam America. She has extensive experience in the environmental, agricultural and forestry issues from her time as a Fellow at Ecotrust, a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute, and the Co-Director of the Forest Program and Global Forest Watch. Delgado is returning to USDA, having previously served as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary and a Senior Advisor to the Secretary from 1998 to 2001. She was a legislative assistant in several Congressional offices prior to her time at USDA. She has a Master of Business Administration in International Relations from American University and degrees in International Finance and Psychology from Tufts University.

Marni Karlin was appointed as Senior Advisor for Organic and Emerging Markets.  Karlin joins USDA with two decades of experience in policy and the organic and emerging agricultural markets space – including consulting with stakeholders across the organic sector from producers to certifiers, service as Vice President of Government Affairs and General Counsel of the Organic Trade Association, and serving as the founding Executive Director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Food Safety Coalition. Karlin has several years of government experience, including time as Counsel to Senator Herb Kohl and Counsel for the Antitrust Modernization Commission. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in International Economics and Politics from George Washington University. Karlin also has a certification in global organic leadership from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Organic Leadership Academy.

Marcia Moore will serve as Director of the Office of the Executive Secretariat.  Most recently, Moore served as the Chief of Personnel and Administration and a Committee Management Senior Analyst at the Department of Defense. With more than 23 years of federal service, Moore returns to USDA where she previously managed the Agricultural Research Service’s Office of Scientific Quality Review, USDA’s Committee Management Program, and environmental policy analysis. She also worked as the Executive Director of the Food Advisory Committee at the Department of Health and Human Services. Moore has her Bachelor’s in Business Management and Biology from Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI, and her Master’s in Science Communication from Johns Hopkins University.

Shawn Campbell was appointed Legislative Analyst in the Office of Congressional Relations.  Campbell joins USDA after over five years of service in the legislative branch. Most recently, he served as a Special Assistant in the Office of Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado. Prior, Campbell worked for Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut as a Legislative Correspondent, Correspondence Assistant, and Staff Assistant. Campbell graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in African American Studies. He is a native of Hartford, Connecticut.

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