On
a 14-19 vote, Wisconsin’s appointed ag secretary was fired as Senate Majority Republicans
decided not to confirm Brad Pfaff’s appointment Tuesday.
Democratic
Governor Tony Evers appointed the former farmer, FSA Administrator and Congressional
staffer to run the Department of Ag, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Evers told reporters after the vote he does
not yet have another nominee in mind. “I
don’t know. I can’t even speak about
that now, I’m so P-O’d about the fact of what happened today. We’ll deal with that as we go forward.”
Evers
says the battle over livestock siting rule changes known as ATCP 51, which
Pfaff pulled from the DATCP Board’s Thursday action agenda is not why Senators
removed him. “Suddenly, that became an
issue. In order to assuage that concern
that they have, they pulled them back at least temporarily, but the fact of the
matter is rulemaking is this group’s bailiwick, so give me a break. That is not the reason they did this.”
During
the Confirmation hearing, Democrats including Lena Taylor from Milwaukee
defended Pfaff and his work. “This is
our number one industry in our state. We
should not be playing politics with it, and with our farmer’s lives, and with
the legacy of their farms.”
Republican Senators were
unanimous in their vote of no confidence for Pfaff. Howard Marklein issued a statement saying he was
hopeful Pfaff would be a positive, strong leader for an agency that has
traditionally been nonpolitical and focused on the industries it supports, but
Marklein says he was disappointed by his actions over the last eight months by
playing politics with information and says Pfaff attacked the legislature to
the detriment of his agency.
Continue reading State Senate votes not to confirm Wisconsin’s Ag Secretary at Brownfield Ag News.
