Heidi Alexander: “within a few minutes, the Senate will vote on ending debate on the nomination of Stephen Vaden to be the General Counsel…”

“within a few minutes, the Senate will vote on ending debate on the nomination of Stephen Vaden to be the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I am glad to see that. I am here to strongly support Mr. Vaden and urge my colleagues to support him. Stephen Vaden grew up on a family farm in Union City, TN, way out in the west end of our State, and he has some academic credentials for this job which are also very strong. He attended Vanderbilt University and Yale Law School. He has had two strong mentors--Judge Julia Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, who was once my counsel when I was Governor of Tennessee, and Judge Hardy Mays of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. He practiced with two distinguished law firms in Washington, DC. He has hands-on academic credentials. He has hands-on farming credentials. He has a strong background in legal training. Mr. Vaden has the strong support of his Congressman, Mr. David Kustoff from West Tennessee. This is Davy Crockett's old congressional district in Tennessee. Tennessee Farm Bureau President Jeff Aiken said that Mr. Vaden ``has a passion for agriculture that can't be taught but is necessary'' for the job of General Counsel. Secretary Perdue, Agriculture Secretary, said that Mr.…”