President Bush appoints former North Dakota Gov. Edward T. Schafer as Secretary of Agriculture

In Washington, President Bush nominated former North Dakota Governor Edward T. Schafer as Secretary of Agriculture. If confirmed by the US Senate, Schafer would succeed Mike Johanns, who resigned in September to run for a Nebraska Senate seat.

Schafer served two terms as North Dakota’s governor between 1993 and 2001. Schafer’s primary responsibility is the passage of the 2007 Farm Bill. The President has threatened to veto the House version of the Bill, while the Senate is preparing to vote on its own version.

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