President Joe Biden said he has a new nominee for the job of chief agricultural negotiator who has deep roots at the Agriculture Department.
Biden announced Wednesday that he will nominate Doug McKalip, a senior adviser to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, to the negotiator post for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
McKalip has held a variety of USDA posts over nearly 29 years. He has had stints as senior adviser to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, senior adviser to the secretary, and legislative and public affairs director for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He also served as senior policy adviser on rural affairs for the White House Domestic Policy Council during the Obama administration. His responsibilities over the years make him familiar with commodity markets, trade issues and subjects such as biotechnology.
