USDA Raises Eyebrows With Hire Of Seed Oil Lobbyist As Agency Chief Of Staff

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The incoming chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a new administration determined to “make America healthy again” is a junk food lobbyist whose recent experience includes running the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) and the Edible Oil Producers Association (EOPA).

On Tuesday, the USDA announced Kailee Tkacz Buller’s appointment under Secretary-Designate Brooke Rollins, who testified in a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday. Buller also previously worked as a lobbyist for the snack industry trade group, SNAC International, and the Corn Refiners Association, another trade association behind ingredients for popular junk foods such as high-fructose corn syrup. The new chief of staff for the USDA became president and CEO of NOPA and EOPA after spending more than three years in the Department of Agriculture under President Trump’s first term.

Buller’s appointment became a trending topic on X Thursday night after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., published a screenshot of the USDA’s press release.

Some pointed out the hire of a seed oil lobbyist seemingly contradicts the new administration’s platform to “make America healthy again” by way of eliminating corporate influence over the federal government’s most powerful agencies regulating food and medicine. (Read more from “USDA Raises Eyebrows With Hire Of Seed Oil Lobbyist As Agency Chief Of Staff” HERE)