At the request of Secretary Tom Vilsack, President Biden has nominated Janie Simms Hipp to serve as General Counsel for the USDA. As a member of the Chickasaw Nation, she has spent over thirty-five years in federal service as an agriculture and food legal and policy expert. She served as a Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs and Director of the Office of Tribal Relations in the Obama administration and will come to the USDA from her current position as CEO of the Native American Agriculture Fund.
In commenting on the nomination, Secretary Vilsack stated, "I know that Ms. Simms Hipp will faithfully carry out her duties to enforce the laws and regulations of the USDA, safeguard producers, protect socially disadvantaged communities and make good on USDA responsibility to provide nutrition assistance to children and families".