Illinois Senator Dick Durbin serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture and will be a key voice in the decision regarding the next Secretary of Agriculture. The Department can play a key role in mitigating climate change by encouraging the use of agricultural methods that absorb carbon, and can prioritize addressing hunger to help those who have been hurt by the ongoing pandemic. Environmental organizations are opposing Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp for this position due to her opposition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Please contact Senator Durbin, using the contact form on his website, to express your opinion.
Sample text for emails to Senator Durbin:
This country needs a Secretary of Agriculture who takes climate change seriously, and will use the position to address hunger in America. The USDA can play a key role in not only mitigating the risks of a changing climate for farmers but also using farming to absorb carbon dioxide and reduce climate change. Given the impacts that the pandemic has had on job security for people across the country, the USDA should also prioritize addressing hunger.
I urge you to oppose former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp for this position. Sen. Heitkamp’s tight alliance with her state’s massive oil and coal interests and her consistent opposition to cutting greenhouse gas emissions should rule her out. Other candidates, including Rep. Marsha Fudge and Rep. Chellie Pingree, would be better able to lead the agency in the 21st Century.
