Susan Walsh/Associated Press The U.S. Forest Service will soon have to tap into programs designed to prevent wildfires so that it can meet the expenses of fighting this summerís round of fires. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday that about $400 million to $500 million in projects will have to be put on hold in what has become a routine exercise toward the end of the fiscal year. He predicted that the money set aside strictly for firefighting will have run dry by the end of August. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President-elect Joe Biden plans to select Tom Vilsack, 69, who served as secretary of agriculture for eight years in the Obama Administration, to lead the department again, according to Politico, relying on three anonymous sources familiar with the decision.

The intended nomination was also confirmed to The Associated Press by five people who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the president-elect’s announcement.

Sources expect Vilsack will be formally announced as pick as soon as the end of the week.

Vilsack has been a top adviser on agricultural policy during Biden’s presidential campaign, served as governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007, was once mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and in 2016 was a top contender to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate.

Since the Obama administration ended, Vilsack has been heading the U.S. Dairy Export Council, a trade group advocating for the dairy industry overseas.

While leading USDA the first time, Vilsack expanded rural development and nutrition programs, including raising nutrition standards at schools.

Vilsack’s return is likely to be applauded by big commodity crop producers of corn, soybeans and wheat because of Vilsack’s longstanding friendliness with large-scale farmers.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters late Tuesday that if Vilsack is appointed and maintains the same kinds of policies he pushed the first time, “it’d be OK with me.”

Grassley and others say they expect Vilsack would have an easy appointment in the Senate.

Farm and environmental groups have told the Capital Press for weeks they expect USDA to be a significant player in Biden’s response to climate change – for example, with programs that pay farmers to sequester carbon.

But Vilsack’s potential appointment has already garnered criticism from progressives and environmental groups, who have been pressing for a fresh vision at USDA to tackle climate change, racial issues and consolidation of agribusiness.

Ricardo Salvador, director of food and environment for the Union of Concerned Scientists, Mitch Jones, policy director for Food and Water Watch, an environmental group, and other progressives have publicly stated they would prefer someone else for the job.

Vilsack’s selection comes after former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp had appeared the most likely pick for several weeks.

Sources on Capitol Hill say Biden will be appointing Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who had also been a choice for ag secretary, to serve instead as secretary of housing and urban development.

Rep. Fudge, who is Black, was a popular pick among progressives wanting see more diversity in USDA.

Sources say Biden may be choosing Vilsack because he’s a trusted friend and ally with a consistent record in agriculture.

Biden’s relationship with Vilsack goes back decades, according to the Associated Press. Vilsack was an early supporter of Biden’s first campaign for president in 1988 while Vilsack was the mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa and he tirelessly campaigned for Biden in 2020.

The Biden transition team did not immediately respond to the Capital Press’s request for comment.