NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
GRATITUDE AND OPTIMISM
THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE NEW ADMINISTRATION by NCBA Chief Executive Officer Colin Woodall At noon on January 20th, Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States. Since Election Day, I have had almost daily calls from cattle producers asking about the new administration and its impact on our industry. My message from the get-go has been clear: it is going to be okay. President Biden brings many things to the table we have not seen in quite some time. He is a former U.S. Senator we worked with, and he spent eight years as Vice President where we learned even more about him. He is a known commodity and is bringing familiar faces back to work for him. Tom Vilsack has been nominated to reprise his role as Secretary of Agriculture, a post he held for eight years under President Obama. We had our challenges with Secretary Vilsack on topics such as keeping the government out of dictating how we market cattle, but we also had significant wins like returning beef to the center of the plate in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We had a lot of experience with Secretary Vilsack and we know we can work with him. Another familiar face is Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. Trade Representative. Our team has worked with her on trade issues at the House Ways and Means Committee. Her fluency in Mandarin Chinese will make her very valuable, especially since one of President Biden’s challenges will be holding the Chinese accountable for their trade commitments on beef and other agricultural goods. Ms. Tai understands the complicated nature of the Chinese trade relationship and is prepared to work on our behalf. Knowing how important trade is to our industry, we need a U.S. Trade Representative who will expand global access for U.S. beef. We began working very closely with President Biden’s transition team after the election to educate them on all our priorities, and the reception has been positive. In fact, we met with the President’s nominee for EPA Administrator, Michael Regan, and I was surprised and pleased with his commitment to learn more about the cattle industry and our issues. The President’s team continues to talk about climate change, and they have concentrated part of that discussion on agriculture. We must be at the table to defend the great work we have done in protecting the land. There is no doubt in my mind we will have plenty of challenges ahead of us, but we are prepared to defend our role in food security, nutrition, animal care and natural resource stewardship. However, we will also have opportunities in trade and
24 California Cattleman February 2021
in showcasing our role as part of the solution to environmental issues. While we are anxiously looking at what the next four years may bring, it is important that we review the past four years under President Trump. The events in early January resulted in an unfortunate end to the Trump Administration, and feelings remain raw across the board. While the opinions of President Trump continue to run from hatred to admiration, I simply want to address our experience with him. Regardless of your opinion or position, I will argue that he has been one of the most cattle-friendly presidents we have had. I met and interacted with President Trump many times during his administration, and I can tell you he is a very genuine and down-to-earth gentleman. Even though I did not always agree with the way he conducted business, we cannot argue with the number of wins we achieved under his leadership. Thanks to a simple steak lunch during golf with Chinese President Xi Jinping, we got beef back into China and our exports have grown since. We repealed and replaced EPA’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. We made significant improvements to the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The gray wolf was delisted. The list goes on and on because he appreciated what cattle producers do, and he appreciated the way NCBA takes care of business. While we are starting off on the right foot with the Biden Administration, we know that every presidential administration, regardless of political party, delivers challenges. NCBA’s full-time presence in Washington, D.C., has us prepared to face the challenges and ultimately win. Our quest is to keep the government out of your business. The next four years will be an adventure, but I am optimistic that NCBA will do what we have always done – build relationships, educate administration officials and fight for your right to raise cattle.
