CHICAGO — Pushing to fill his Cabinet, President-elect Barack Obama announced Wednesday his choices of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to be agriculture secretary and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar to lead the Interior Department.
"It is time for a new kind of leadership in Washington that's committed to using our lands in a responsible way to benefit all of our families," Obama said in a news conference, his third in as many days to announce Cabinet choices.
For the agriculture and interior departments — which oversee federal farming and lands policies — Obama said his approach will be to "serve not big agribusiness or Washington influence peddlers but family farmers and the American people."
He said this means promoting not only development but protection of environmental treasures and expanding both agriculture and new energy sources.
"I am confident we have the team we need to make the rural agenda America's agenda, to create millions of new green jobs, to free our nation from its dependence on oil and to help preserve this planet for our children," Obama said.
Source: The Associated Press
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