Basil Gooden Confirmed as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development
The Senate also confirmed Summer Mersinger to another term on the CFTC.
The U.S. Senate today held recorded votes to confirm two individuals nominated by President Joe Biden - one within the Executive Branch at the Department of Agriculture and the other in an independent government agency.
By voice vote, Basil Ivanhoe Gooden was confirmed as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development. The position has been vacant since July 2023, when Xochitl Torres Small resigned to become Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.
Gooden was nominated to this position by Biden in September 2023. From May 2002 to May 2014, he served as Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. From May 2014 to September 2016, he was Virginia’s State Director for the USDA’s Office of Rural Development. And finally, he served as Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry from September 2016 to January 2018.
Gooden was the first Black American to serve as Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry in Virginia’s history. During his tenure, he was also the only Black America to serve as Secretary of Agriculture in any state in the country.
By voice vote, Summer K. Mersinger was confirmed as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for a term expiring April 13, 2028. This is a reappointment for Mersinger as she has served on the commission since March 2022.
Mersinger was re-nominated to this position by Biden in June 2023. Before this role, she spent sixteen years in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) - as Director of Scheduling in 2004, as Executive Director from 2004 to 2008, and as Deputy Chief of Staff from 2012 to 2020.
The 5-member CFTC cannot have more than three individuals from the same political party. Democrats currently control the commission with a 3-2 majority. Mersinger forms the Republican minority alongside Caroline Pham. The Democratic majority consists of Chair Rostin Behnam, Kristin N. Johnson and Christy Goldsmith Romero.