The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, who was selected for the position by President Joe Biden in 2020, has released a statement following Biden's exit from the presidential race. 

"In the 38 years that I have known President Biden, he has consistently and selflessly put our country first—and today is no exception. As a result, he will go down in history as one of our most consequential American presidents," said Vilsack. 

Vilsack added that Biden led the country out of the pandemic and "revived our struggling economy to achieve record job growth, real wage increases, record-breaking new business creation, and a record stock market."

"He avoided an economic collapse and is still taming inflation while creating millions of jobs, without causing a crippling recession. His leadership has led to a strengthened and expanded NATO while also supporting Ukraine’s fight for democracy, and he forged alliances to push back against China’s assertions. Finally, he brought to fruition a vision of a new and dynamic American economy built around clean energy and climate-smart and resilient industries, including the agriculture sector," he added.

He expressed that he is immensely proud to play a role in the Biden-Harris Administration, under which USDA has advanced food and nutrition security for tens of millions, invested in new, better and more markets to create a fairer and better marketplace for all farmers, improved the health and resilience of national forests and grasslands, made food safer, and centered equity in all that we do.