President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as undersecretary for rural development at the Department of Agriculture, Glen Smith, pledged Wednesday to review how the agency can better coordinate its rural broadband expansion efforts.
Senator Tina Smith had some concerns about changes in the USDA…
Conversely, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., voiced concern over the administration’s broader plans for USDA, noting “a lot of talk about moving things around within Rural Development,” including potentially shifting rural broadband programs to the Commerce Department.
“In Minnesota, this is giving people a lot of concern, because they trust the USDA on these issues,” Smith said. “They know that rural challenges are unique, and they believe that the USDA understands that.”
Smith responded saying he “couldn’t agree more,” emphasizing that USDA already has “the mechanisms for these programs” and he “couldn’t imagine them being housed in an agency other than USDA.”