Ranking Member John Boozman also supported Torres Small’s nomination.
But the USDA’s lack of transparency is something she will need to address if confirmed, he said.
“The lack of transparency about USDA’s spending, the lack of a meaningful response to Congress and the lack of accountability by USDA is troubling,” he said. “Let me be clear, I do not believe you are responsible for this specific issue, but as the deputy you must provide leadership to USDA’s appointed officials and the career agency heads and create a culture of accountability.”
Torres Small committed to using her position as deputy secretary to cut red rape and delays for USDA programs.
Updating technology so “you don't have to open six different programs to enter one thing. It's about making sure we have ways to simplify our processes, whether it's how we get an engineering report so that it's a little simpler, or we're removing match requirements so that folks can better qualify for our programs,” she said during the confirmation hearing.
The committee did not vote during the hearing. The full Senate will conduct a vote at a later date.