Tom Vilsack in 2016 Vice Presidential prospects
On Homeland Security:
Sees parallel skills between soldiers and farmers
[Soldiers and farmers] are linked by a number of similarities. Both require problem solvers; someone who is observant, quickly able to spot an enemy whether it's another soldier or a weed or pest before it's too late.
Each requires an individual who can go seamlessly from doing paperwork one minute to fixing a broken piece of vital equipment the next."They are very good at dealing with crisis and circumstances because that is what they are trained to do.
Veterans have the capacity to respond and fix the problem, which is an important characteristic of someone who is successful in the farming business." Vilsack said the USDA, which counts about 10% of its 100,000 employees as having served in the
military, has worked closely with the Defense and Veterans departments to ensure that people leaving the military know farming is an option. He acknowledges, however, more could be done to tout it as a possibility.
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: Military Times, "Vets look to farming"
Jul 14, 2016
On Environment:
Cut food waste in half by 2030
In 2011, the European Commission established the goal of cutting edible food waste in the EU in half by 2020. The US is behind the EU but not by much. In September of last year, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack joined with the Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and the Obama Administration by announcing the first-ever food reduction goal--cutting food waste in half by 2030. The United States is joining other global leaders in vowing to reduce food waste.
These steps by regulators are in important piece of the puzzle, but consumers have an important role to play in this global problem. Will a new Ad Council campaign, "Save the Food," help shift perspectives? Will the national goal set by the federal
government's top health and environmental agencies motivate consumers? Do consumers need clear directions from policymakers and legislation (also known as landfill bans, municipal composting requirements, date labeling standardization) to force change?
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: Huffington Post, "Reducing Food Waste"
May 9, 2016
On Gun Control:
Rural America ready to discuss gun control
Vilsack says the Newtown school shootings have changed the gun control debate and that rural America is ready to be part of a national conversation. Vilsack says the debate has to start with respect for the Second Amendment and recognition that hunting
is a way of life for millions of Americans. But Vilsack said it's now "potentially a unifying conversation. President Obama recognizes that changes to gun laws can't just be decreed from Washington but must come from the "grassroots up."
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: Politico.com, "Ag Secretary on Gun Control"
Apr 15, 2016
On Drugs:
$51.4 million for opioid abuse clinics in rural communities
President Obama asked me to lead an interagency effort focused on heroin and prescription opioids in rural America, a role I was humbled to accept. This issue is very personal to me. Growing up with a mother who struggled with alcohol and prescription
drug addiction for much of my childhood, it wasn't until I saw her recover with treatment that I saw addiction for what it is: a disease, not a character flaw. This disease isn't a personal choice, and it can't be cured by willpower alone.
It requires responses from whole communities, access to medical treatment, and an incredible amount of support.To me, our mandate is clear: don't judge, just help. I recently announced the availability of $1.4 million through USDA's Rural Health and
Safety Education grant program, which we are expanding this year to support outreach to prevent opioid abuse in rural communities. In 2013, I made a commitment to provide up to $50 million in Community Facilities funds for these types of facilities.
Source: Obama Cabinet: USDA.gov press release: 2016 Veepstakes
Mar 30, 2016
On Government Reform:
Money is the only reason he left presidential race
[After withdrawing from the presidential race], "This process has become to a great extent about money -- a lot of money," Vilsack said at a news conference in Des Moines yesterday. "And it is clear to me that we would not be able to continue to raise
money in the amounts necessary to sustain not just a campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire but a campaign across this country. So it is money and only money that is the reason that we are leaving today."
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: Washington Post on 2016 presidential race
Jun 10, 2015
On Civil Rights:
Appointed judges who said yes to gay marriage
Former Iowa Governor and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack praised the establishment of same-sex marriage in his state -- but stopped just short of endorsing it nationwide. "I appointed the judges -- most of the judges -- that made that
decision. I think it was a good decision," Vilsack said about the 2009 Iowa Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage in his state -- and provoked a furious conservative backlash and recalls of several of the justices involved.
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: Politico.com, "Gay Marriage in Iowa"
Jan 23, 2015
On Gun Control:
Start conversation with a respect for the 2nd Amendment
Here's how I view this. I view this conversation starting with a respect for the 2nd Amendment and a recognition that there is a value system attached to it that is important, and it starts with the recognition that people do
hunt and that that's important to them--38% of America either hunts or fishes. So you know, it's a big part of the population.
It's a much deeper conversation.And it's a good one to have for this country. It's potentially a unifying conversation.
The problem is that these conversations are always couched in the terms of dividing us. This could be a unifying conversation and Lord knows we need to be unified.
Source: CNN coverage of 2016 Veepstakes:State of the Union interview
Dec 30, 2012
On Drugs:
Notes the revenue potential of an acre of marijuana
Former President Bill Clinton and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack may have unintentionally added themselves to the growing list of pot-supporting politicians. Vilsack said that while visiting Milwaukee, a friend showed him "greens," an acre
of which could fetch $1 million. "With the exception of Colorado and a few other states that have legalized another product, there are not very many commodities that you can plant an acre of and get a million bucks" he said.
Source: CNN coverage of 2016 Veepstakes: "Bill Clinton Weed"
Dec 15, 2011
On Abortion:
Informed consent is government telling women what to do
Informed consent laws often mandate that a woman is given inflammatory and medically inaccurate materials, emphasizing alleged medical risks and the state's preference for childbirth through biased "counseling" and pictorial depictions. As Iowa Governor
Tom Vilsack commented, informed consent laws "are about government prescribing what a woman should think about, when a woman should think, and for how long a woman should think. This goes beyond the appropriate role of government."
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: ProChoiceOregon.org, "Waiting periods"
Feb 24, 2007
On War & Peace:
Congress should stop funding U.S. fighting in Iraq
Tom Vilsack sought to separate himself from his presidential rivals today by urging Congress to stop funding US fighting in Iraq. "Those in Congress who voted for the war, those in Congress who have voted to continue the war, and those in Congress who
have funded the war, can surely vote to end the war," Vilsack told members of the Democratic National Committee.Vilsack's comments made him the first major presidential candidate to urge Congress to use its spending power under the
Constitution to bring U.S. fighting in Iraq to an end. "Congress has the constitutional responsibility and a moral duty to cut off funding for the status quo," said Vilsack. "Not a cap--an end. Not eventually--immediately."
The former governor still supports keeping a U.S. troop presence in the northern Kurdish part of the country in an effort to dissuade Iran from moving into any power vacuum created by the end of U.S. military engagement in central Iraq.
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: ABC News, "Cut Off Funding"
Feb 3, 2007
On Homeland Security:
Spending in Iraq is wrong priority; spend at home instead
Tom Vilsack praised a New Hampshire group for building new homes for people with disabilities, but he said the rebuilding of Iraq will leave little money for such efforts on a national scale. "We are embarking on a program in which we are spending
literally billions of dollars to reconstruct a country halfway around the world, which means we don't have sufficient resources for some of the programs that are so important to keeping the American dream alive," he said to the group. "It may be
hard to see the connection between an effort to escalate troops in Iraq and the opportunity to create more housing for people with disabilities, but there is a direct connection because resources are limited and we have to make choices," said Vilsack.
Given President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, Congress is sure to reject requests for more money for worthy projects like New Hampshire's housing program, Vilsack said. "We just don't have the priorities right."
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: Portsmouth-Herald (NH) SeacoastOnline.com
Jan 20, 2007
On Abortion:
Vetoed requiring info about abortion risks and alternatives
Vilsack upset the pro-life community when he vetoed legislation that would have required abortion businesses to provide women with factual information about abortion risks and alternatives prior to performing one. Women who regret their abortions
frequently say that abortion practitioners did not provide them adequate information beforehand that may have changed their minds had they had it available.He also ridiculed a bill that would protect pregnant women and their unborn children--such as
Laci Peterson and her son Conner--from acts of violence. It would have allowed two charges for two deaths such as the charges Scott Peterson faced in that case. "I'm not quite sure why we're doing this other than this is the
political season and it's time for political bills," Vilsack said. House lawmakers voted 63-36 in favor of the bill, while members of the state Senate backed it on a 33-19 vote.
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: LifeNews.com, "Pro-Abortion Iowa Governor"
Nov 9, 2006
On Abortion:
Personal choice includes taxpayer funding
In March 2004, Vilsack came under fire for opposing a measure to stop taxpayer funding for abortions at the University of Iowa's hospital on unborn babies diagnosed with physical or mental disabilities.
Vilsack appeared to back the abortion funding. "We should not be in a position to interfere in that very difficult and personal choice, and the relationship between a woman and her doctor,"
he said. "If that's what this legislation does, obviously, I'm going to have deep concerns about that."
Vilsack has raised money to promote abortion and was one of four governors to lend his name to a NARAL fundraising letter opposing President Bush because of his pro-life position.
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: LifeNews.com, "Pro-Abortion Iowa Governor"
Nov 9, 2006
Page last updated: Nov 30, 2021