GRAND FORKS, N.D. - What does the Donald Trump cabinet look like so far, and what does it mean for farmers in the upper Midwest? This is speculative, but so far there are some inferences that can be drawn from President-elect Trump's picks.
Recall the lay of the land: President Obama has about a month left in office. For eight years the Obama administration has expanded the size, cost and scope of federal government regulation by many agencies affecting agriculture. Under Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Interior and many other federal agencies experienced unprecedented growth in regulatory authority.
In fact, last week one of those agencies flexed their muscles in the Dakota Access Pipeline standoff. Indeed, the Army Corps of Engineers halted the final segment of the pipeline, perplexing many and causing others to be joyful. The decision was curious, since another federal agency - the Department of Justice - had actually refused to provide more assistance to local law enforcement in keeping the peace. This denial was in spite of the fact that many protesters had been arrested, and some law enforcement officers had actually been shot at by at least one protester.
The Corps decision to flex its muscles was no surprise to farmers, though. The waters of the U.S. battle the Corps and EPA have waged against farmers for the past few years has perplexed both political and legal analysts. The Corps making a late-in-the-game appearance in the DAPL dispute was typical Corps behavior.
By any objective measure, the federal government has not been "farmer friendly" the past eight years. Surprisingly, though, on Dec. 14 USDA announced "Farmer Fair Practice Rules," intended to protect the rights of farmers who seek justice under the Packers and Stockyards Act. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hailed, "USDA is taking a big step toward providing the protections that farmers deserve and need." It was ironic the administration viewed one last expansion in regulatory authority as somehow helpful to farmers.
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Although President-elect Trump has named many members of his cabinet, yet to be filled is the Agriculture Secretary position. Many agriculturalists in this region are hopeful that the rumors of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., being a candidate for Ag Secretary are true. Senator Heitkamp has been farmer-friendly for much of her career.
Back to the Trump cabinet. Newly appointed Energy Secretary Rick Perry certainly has a background that allows some tea leaves to be read. Forbes magazine recently lauded Perry as "the perfect choice" for the job. Forbes cites the fact that, as Texas Governor, Perry implemented pro-energy policies that created jobs and insulated Texas from the worst part of the Great Recession. In fact, during the Great Recession, Texas actually created 49 percent of all new jobs in the U.S. For North Dakota, this is reason for hope that we can expand our untapped potential in the oil fields in the western part of the state.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is the Trump appointee to head up the EPA. He, too, is a promoter of the fossil-fuels industry, which is good news for North Dakota. Additionally, he has repeatedly sued the EPA in his role as Attorney General of Oklahoma, and has described himself as "a leading advocate against the EPA's activist agenda." Again, good news for farmers, and for North Dakota in general.
One more notable thing about Trump's selections: all of them have experience as "leaders." This is not a small thing. In a bureaucracy, choosing a leader over a bureaucrat tends to "shake things up," which is one theme that may have propelled Trump to his surprising election victory. One thing is for sure: the next four years are going to be an interesting ride.
Editor's note: Welte is an attorney with the Vogel Law Firm in Grand Forks, N.D., and a small grains farmer in Grand Forks County.
