Mindy Brashears has made history by securing a second term as Under Secretary of Food Safety at the USDA. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 17 after being nominated by President Trump in June.
The Senate confirmed her along with 96 other Trump nominees in a single vote. This move by Majority Leader John Thune, known as a “tactical nuclear” response, came after Senate Democrats slowed down appointments. Brashear’s confirmation passed with a vote of 54-47.
Her role is critical, filling a nearly 334-day vacancy left after Dr. Jose Emilio Esteban stepped down at the end of the Biden administration. The last time she was confirmed, in 2020, the position had been open for over six years. This was largely due to delays during both the Obama and Trump administrations.
Brashears leaves a teaching position at Texas Tech University, where she specialized in food safety and public health. She was notably an expert witness in the BPI v. ABC News case in 2017, which dealt with the depiction of a beef product. Her testimony helped BPI win a substantial settlement from ABC News, illustrating her influence in the field.
As a former chair of the National Alliance for Food Safety and Security, she will now lead the U.S. delegation in the Codex Alimentarius Commission. This organization, set up in 1963, creates international food safety standards. Her responsibilities will also include overseeing the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which regulates meat, poultry, and certain egg products.
It’s worth noting that the role of Under Secretary for Food Safety was established by the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994. The act ensures that the president selects someone with specialized training in food safety or public health for this vital position.
The position comes with high expectations, given the increasing focus on food safety. Recent reports show that 1 in 6 Americans gets foodborne illnesses each year. As the new term begins, questions about how Brashears will tackle these challenges are on many minds.
For more about food safety regulations and the importance of oversight, you can visit USDA’s FSIS for detailed information on their programs and initiatives.
