Callahan, Brashears, Selig Confirmed

Before packing up and leaving DC for the holidays, the Senate confirmed nominees for key roles at USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office. Julie Callahan now moves into the role of chief agriculture negotiator in the trade office. Callahan is currently the assistant U.S. trade representative for agricultural affairs. Mindy Brashears is the new USDA undersecretary for food safety. She was in the same position during the first Trump Administration. The Senate also confirmed Michael Selig as chairman and commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Most recently, Selig was chief counsel in the SEC’s cryptocurrency task force.