LETTER REOPENED: 12/03/2020

Dear President-elect Biden,

As a broad coalition of environmental, farmer, animal welfare, labor, public health, social justice and food safety organizations, we congratulate you and Vice President-elect Harris on your victory and support your commitment to appointing the most diverse and representative Cabinet in history. To that end, we write to endorse Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge to be the next Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Congresswoman Fudge is a skilled and compassionate leader of unparalleled reputation and integrity. She has long been an ally to farmers, food-chain workers, consumers, and rural communities. She is best positioned to help the Department navigate today’s unprecedented challenges—from the ongoing rural crisis, to climate change, to the pandemic’s rupturing of our food system.

Congresswoman Fudge advocates for food chain workers, the unsung heroes of our food system who labor in some of the most dangerous working conditions of any industry. She urged USDA and other agencies to strengthen workplace protections for slaughterhouse workers at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She fights industry-led attempts to increase line speeds at processing plants, including a measure (HR 7521) to suspend line speed waivers and prevent new issues during the pandemic. We can expect Congresswoman Fudge to equally support fair working conditions within USDA; she voiced her support of USDA workers seeking to unionize within the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

She strongly supports family-scale farms and regional food systems. She has introduced bills to increase local procurement for the National School Lunch Program and to increase scrutiny of foreign investment in U.S. farmland. Congresswoman Fudge also understands the central role farmers play in fighting climate change and protecting natural resources. She sponsored the House version of a bill (HR 6182) to measure and report on conservation programs outcomes and spearheaded an effort to address agricultural runoff and improve soil health in the 2018 Farm Bill.

The Congresswoman is also an advocate for farmers and communities historically underserved by USDA. She introduced the Fair Access for Farmers and Ranchers Act (HR 6336), which would make farmers operating on land held by heirs’ property eligible to participate in USDA programs. In March, she called on USDA to step up enforcement of civil rights violations against its workers and program applicants. As the first Black woman to serve as Agriculture Secretary, Congresswoman Fudge would address the Department’s legacy of discrimination against Black and other historically-underserved farmers, and ensure these groups have full access to USDA programs and resources.

Congresswoman Fudge has an unparalleled track record of protecting and strengthening nutrition programs. She was a vocal critique of the Trump administration’s work to strip Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, calling it a “war on people in need.” She continues this fight to increase SNAP and other crucial nutrition benefits during the pandemic.

The next Secretary of Agriculture will take over the Department at a time of unprecedented challenges to our farming and food system. Congresswoman Fudge is up to the challenge. We wholeheartedly endorse her nomination as the next Secretary of Agriculture.

Sincerely,

National Organizations (50)

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments Animal Advocacy Careers
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Animal Outlook
Animal Welfare Institute
Balanced
Bionutrient Food Association
Black Women􏱉s Political Action Committee Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Brighter Green
Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Food Safety
Climate Institute
Climate Justice Alliance EcoHealth Network Encompass
Experimental Farm Network Fair World Project
Faithful America
Family Farm Action
Food Animal Concerns Trust
Friends of the Earth
Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic Herbicide-Free Campus
Humane Farming Association
Humane Society Legislative Fund
Jews of the Earth, a project of Aytzim.org LEAD for Pollinators, Inc.
Mercy For Animals
Nature Conservation Advocates for Climate initiative NCACI
Oil Change U.S.
Open Markets Institute
Organic & Natural Health Association People's Action
Protect
Rachel Carson Council
Rapid Shift Network
Revolving Door Project
RootsAction.org
Russell Entertainment Group
Sunrise Movement
Sustainable Agriculture Education Switch4Good
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
The Humane League
World Animal Protection
Zero Hour
198 methods
350.org

State & Local Organizations (100)

A Well-Fed World
Advocates for a Clean Lake Erie
Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network Alaska Rose Society
Alaska's Big Village Network
AnamCara
Animals Are Sentient Beings, Inc.
Arctic Organics
Armonia
Black Political Action (B-Pack)
Black Women Political Action Committee Bucks Environmental Action
Buffalo River Watershed Alliance
C.O.P.E.
Calhoun County Against CAFOs
Campaign for Renewable Energy
Central Maryland Beekeepers Association  
CERBAT: Center for Environmentally Recycled Building Alternatives
Chapel Hill Organization for Clean Energy Church Women United in New York State City of South Euclid
Climate Action Team, Ad hoc Climate Justice Cornell
Colorado Farm and Food Alliance Community Action Works Compassion in World Farming USA Cuyahoga Council
CWA LOCAL 4340
Don't Spray California
Earth Action, Inc.
Eat for the Earth
Endangered Habitats League
Farmworker Association of Florida
Food Freedom Radio
Food Revolution Network
For West Virginia's Future
Friends of Family Farmers
Gap Mountain Goats
Good Earth Garden School
Greater Highland Concerned Citizens
Green State Solutions
Health Care Without Harm
Honeydew Advisors
iEat Green
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Iowa Citizens for Responsible Agriculture - Worth County
Land Stewardship Project
Long Beach Alliance for Clean Energy
Lower East Side Ecology Çenter
Maryland Pesticide Education Network Mobius
National Congress of Black Women Greater Cleveland Chapter
National Congress of Black Women-GCC Nature Coast Conservation, Inc.
New Roots, Inc.
No Spray Zone
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH)
Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT)
NYC H2O
Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund Ohio Coalition of Labor Union Women
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association Ohio Women􏱉s Alliance
OVEC-Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition PA Stands Up
Peoples Climate Movement - NY Pittsburgh Food Policy Council Pollinate Minnesota
Progressive Democrats of America Qlatinx
Rainbow Urban Homestead
Regeneration Massachusetts
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network
Slow Food North Shore
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden South Asian Fund For Education, Scholarship and Training (SAFRST)
Strategic Expansion and Trainings, LLC Sustainable Systems, Inc.
Takoma Alliance for Local Living Economy (TALLE), Takoma Park Mobilization
The Greenbaum Foundation
The Oakland Institute
Three Springs Farm
Toxic Free North Carolina
United Vision for Idaho & United Action for Idaho Village of Woodmere
WATCH, Inc
WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
West Virginia Environmental Council
Western New York Peace Center
Women's Earth and Climate Action Network WV Citizen Action
Xun Biosphere Project
350 Butte County
350 Silicon Valley
350Hawaii
350Kishwaukee
350NH
350NYC