(Washington, D.C.)– The U-S Senate has confirmed northwest Iowa native Tom Dorr as USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development.
The vote this (Thursday) morning was 62 to 38.
The Marcus native had his initial nomination struck down in 2003 after it cleared a committee. At that time, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin stalled the nomination in the Senate, preventing it from going to a vote.
After a controversial hearing on the initial nomination, President Bush made Dorr a recess appointment, granting him a liminted number of months to work for Rural Development. Former Ag Secretary Ann Veneman eventually named Dorr as a special consultant to her staff at USDA.
The recent nomination of Dorr has caused waves with some groups because of past dealings with the Farm Service Agency. Dorr was forced to repay thousands of dollars in federal farm subsidies that he did not qualify for.
Senator Harkin also criticized Dorr about past statements he had made regarding minorities and poor people in 1999.
Senator Saxby Chambliss, Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, says Dorr wrote a public apology for those statements. Chambliss entered the letter into the record before endoring Dorr for the post this (Thursday) morning.
Iowa’s Republican Senator, Chuck Grassley, has support Dorr since the beginning.
The confirmation now goes to the President for final approval.
(Story from Danielle Hitchings of sister station KDWD Hot 100 in Spencer.).
