Senate Confirms Vaden as USDA General Counsel

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday (Nov. 27) voted 53-46 to confirm Stephen Vaden as USDA general counsel, more than a year after President Donald Trump nominated him for the post. The vote was largely along party lines with only three Democrats joining 50 Republicans to approve Vaden's nomination. A Tennessee native and 2008 graduate of Yale Law School, Vaden was on the Trump administration's landing team at USDA and has served as principal deputy general counsel since March 2017. The president chose Vaden to serve as general counsel in September 2017, a post tasked with providing legal advice to the USDA officials and agencies. USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue praised the Senate for approving Vaden, who will advise Perdue on food safety, nutrition, marketing and a range of other agriculture programs. "He will continue to provide important legal advice and services to the department and our agencies as they operate the programs that are so important to our customers," Perdue said in a statement. "Stephen’s roots on a working farm in Tennessee and expertise in the law will well serve the people of American agriculture." The Senate Agriculture Committee voted to confirm Vaden in December 2017, but his nomination stalled amid controversies surrounding his role in the reassignment of career staff at USDA.