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Office of Ethics

Biden Administration Ethics Pledge Waivers

Below are the hyperlinks to the Ethics Pledge waivers issued by the USDA Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) to Biden Administration appointees serving in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These waivers are issued by the DAEO in accordance with Executive Order 13989, titled: Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel, and OGE Legal Advisory LA-21-04 (PDF, 122 KB), titled: Waiver Authority and Making Waivers Public under Section 3 of Executive Order 13989, “Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel.” Pursuant to Section 3 of Executive Order 13989, a limited waiver of the requirements of Section 1, Paragraph 2 of the Executive Order has been issued for the individual(s) listed below. The limited waiver is in the public interest to enable the individual(s) listed below to effectively carry out their respective official duties.

Andrea Delgado, Chief of Staff, Natural Resources and Environment Mission Area, USDA, issued January 18, 2022 (PDF, 332 KB)

Gail Greenman, State Executive Director for the State of Oregon, Farm Service Agency, USDA, issued April 11, 2022 (PDF, 331 KB)

New from OE: Ethics LiveCasts

How to Get in Touch with the USDA Office of Ethics

Employees of:

Contact:

Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area (FSA, NRCS, RMA, and FPAC Business Center)

Ethics-FPC@usda.gov

Food, Nutrition and Consumer Service Mission Area (FNS, CNPP)

Ethics-FNCS@usda.gov

Food Safety Mission Area (FSIS)

Ethics-FoodSafety@usda.gov

Marketing and Regulatory Programs Mission Area (AMS, APHIS & GIPSA)

Ethics-MRP@usda.gov

Natural Resources and Environment Mission Area (USFS)

Ethics-NRE@usda.gov

Research, Education and Economics Mission Area (ARS, NIFA, ERS, NASS)

Ethics-REE@usda.gov

Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Mission Area (FAS)

Ethics-TFAA@usda.gov

Rural Development (RBCS, RHS & RUS)

Ethics-RD@usda.gov

Departmental Management, Staff Offices, Filers of Public Financial Disclosure Reports and Political Appointees

Daeo.ethics@usda.gov

Section 508 Requests

Section508.OE@usda.gov

USDA-NASA Ethics Training Game

Screenshot of the USDA-NASA Ethics Training Game

As a new groundbreaking innovation in the Federal government, USDA's Annual Ethics training is now in an engaging game format that features space travel, agriculture, and you! USDA and NASA have teamed up to create this interactive simulation where your knowledge of the Ethics rules will help you succeed in the game as you help lead a diverse team working against the clock to save USDA's automated greenhouse on the Moon. The Ethics Game is randomized, so the challenges will be different each time you play the game. USDA employees can locate this game on AgLearn by searching "OGC-Ethics-2021" in the AgLearn search feature. For those who do not work at USDA, we have made the Ethics Game accessible to everyone by posting it publicly on USDA's webpage (see below). Even if you are not a Federal employee, we invite you to try this new innovative and fun way to learn about the Federal Ethics rules and the important work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NASA. [Disclaimer: While USDA does not yet have a greenhouse on the Moon, the issue of food sustainability will be an issue for astronauts and mission crews as humans travel to celestial bodies in the future.]

USDA-NASA Ethics Training Game

USDA Recognized for Ethical Leadership

On April 2, 2021, The US Office of Government Ethics highlighted Secretary Vilsack's memorandum on ethical conduct as an example of "Leadership in action":

 

Memo from Secretary Vilsack: "Ethical Conduct: Our Commitment to Restoring and Maintaining the Public's Trust in Government" (PDF, 102 KB)