Secretary Ann M. Veneman on Thomas C. Dorr

WASHINGTON, November 18, 2003 -
“Today, the political process got in the way of progress for rural America. In spite of personal commitments I had from Senators to support Tom Dorr, the partisanship of the Senate superceded the best interests of rural America.

“During his tenure at USDA, Tom has made a tremendous impact in the area of Rural Development including expediting programs and implementing management efficiencies. His work won universal support from those internally and externally. It is unfortunate that residents of rural America will not benefit from the integrity, fairness and the ingenuity of Tom’s leadership, which helped to strengthen rural development programs. We are extremely proud of him.

“I sincerely thank the Senators from both sides of the aisle who supported Tom and who worked so hard on his behalf.”

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