WASHINGTON – House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott  issued the following statement on today's announcement regarding membership of the newly formed Equity Commission by USDA.

"I welcome today’s announcement by Secretary Vilsack of the new members of the USDA Equity Commission and its Subcommittee on Agriculture, and I look forward to the work of the Commission to help ensure that USDA and its current operations are not contributing to further discrimination, erecting barriers to access and inclusion, or perpetuating racial, economic, health, and social disparities. Should any of the Commission’s recommendations require congressional action, I stand ready to assist with that process," said Chairman David Scott

"As the first African American Chairman of our House Agriculture Committee, shining a light on the experience of being a marginalized farmer in America and ensuring equitable treatment by the Department of Agriculture has been a priority under my leadership. There are countless farmers whose contributions to our industry have not been fully realized because of discrimination by those at USDA. The history of the American agriculture industry is worse-off because many marginalized farmers were purposefully excluded from that history."

"Previous attempts to provide a salve to past wounds have often been too little, too late. I applaud the Secretary for advancing equity and creating the Equity Commission to advise him on ways to address systemic discrimination at USDA. Today’s announcement is a crucial step in making sure that the past does not repeat itself." Chairman David Scott continued.