Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue traveled to Omaha yesterday to swear-in new Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach in his home state.

“Greg Ibach will bring experience and integrity to his new role at USDA, and carries with him the knowledge he’s gained in the dozen years he has served as Nebraska’s Director of Agriculture,” said Secretary Perdue.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Perdue expressed his disappointment that Bill Northey was not also being sworn in at the same time, after his nomination was put on hold last week by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in an apparent attempt to retaliate against the administration for bowing to pressure from ethanol states like Iowa on changes to the RFS. “It’s a sad note when one senator put a hold on a nominee not based on anything that has to do with that nominee,” said Perdue.

Audio file – Secretary Perdue swear-in opening comments