04/29/2025 at 03:10PM
Full committee hearing following a business meeting to vote on nominations.
Nominees:
- Luke Lindberg, of South Dakota, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, vice Alexis Taylor, resigned
- Devon Westhill, of Florida, to be Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights, vice Joe Leonard Jr.
Luke Lindberg is the President & CEO of South Dakota Trade, a 501c(6) public-private-partnership that navigates international trade for South Dakota. During the first Trump term, Lindberg served as the Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. As the agency’s second-highest ranking official, he was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of EXIM and advancing strategic initiatives such as the program on “China and Transformational Exports”, opening new markets for American Liquified Natural Gas, securing America’s supply of Critical Minerals & Rare Earths, and protecting allies in the race to deploy 5G globally.
Devon Westhill is the President and General Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank which opposes affirmative action and bilingual education. Westhill led the civil rights office at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. He has also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor, Federalist Society, and as a criminal trial lawyer in private practice. Mr. Westhill is a U.S. Navy veteran with degrees from UNC at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida.