{"id":2394712,"date":"2025-01-24T10:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T15:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usda-hires-seed-oil-lobbyist-as-chief-of-staff\/"},"modified":"2025-01-24T10:13:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T15:13:19","slug":"usda-hires-seed-oil-lobbyist-as-chief-of-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usda-hires-seed-oil-lobbyist-as-chief-of-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"USDA Hires Seed Oil Lobbyist As Chief Of Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fusda-hires-seed-oil-lobbyist-as-chief-of-staff%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2394712&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Kailee Tkacz Buller \u2063has \u2063been appointed as \u200cthe chief of staff \u200cfor \u2064the U.S.Department \u2062of \u2063Agriculture (USDA)\u2062 in a new management that aims to &#8220;make America healthy again.&#8221; Buller previously served as a lobbyist for various organizations,including the National Oilseed Processors Association and the snack industry trade group,SNAC International. This appointment has\u2063 raised concerns as critics \u200dargue that hiring a junk\u200b food lobbyist contradicts the administration&#8217;s health-focused platform,\u2064 especially given \u2064President Trump&#8217;s\u2063 emphasis on eliminating\u200b corporate influence in food and medicine regulation. The declaration\u2063 sparked discussion on social media, with some highlighting that her connections to seed oil industries are at \u2064odds with the administration&#8217;s stated goals, \u2063especially in light of broader criticisms about the health impacts of processed foods.\u2064 Environmental lawyer Robert \u200bF. Kennedy Jr., Trump&#8217;s nominee \u200dfor the department of Health and Human Services, has also criticized \u200bseed \u2064oils for\u2064 their alleged\u2064 role in health\u200b crises, further complicating\u2062 the narrative surrounding Buller&#8217;s appointment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The incoming chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a new administration determined to &ldquo;make America healthy again&rdquo; is a junk food lobbyist whose recent experience includes running the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) and the Edible Oil Producers Association (EOPA).<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, the USDA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/about-usda\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/01\/21\/us-department-agriculture-announces-key-slate-presidential-appointments#:~:text=Kailee%20Tkacz%20Buller%20will%20serve,the%20Edible%20Oil%20Producers%20Association.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> Kailee Tkacz Buller&rsquo;s appointment under Secretary-Designate Brooke Rollins, who testified in a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday. Buller also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kailee-tkacz-buller\/details\/experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously worked<\/a> as a lobbyist for the snack industry trade group, SNAC International, and the Corn Refiners Association, another trade association behind ingredients for popular junk foods such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/combatting-food-cravings-one-bite-at-a-time\/\" title=\"Combatting Food Cravings One Bite at a Time\">high-fructose corn syrup<\/a>. The new chief of staff for the USDA became president and CEO of NOPA and EOPA after spending more than three years in the Department of Agriculture under President Trump&rsquo;s first term.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Buller&#8217;s past employers also include SNAC International and the Corn Syrup Association. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3tQ25ZHX5P\">https:\/\/t.co\/3tQ25ZHX5P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tristan Justice (@JusticeTristan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JusticeTristan\/status\/1882534452271968460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Buller&rsquo;s appointment became a trending topic on X Thursday night after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., published a screenshot of the USDA&rsquo;s press release.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Some pointed out the hire of a seed oil lobbyist seemingly contradicts the new administration&rsquo;s platform to &ldquo;make America healthy again&rdquo; by way of eliminating corporate influence over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-judge-grants-gop-lawmaker-standing-to-sue-biden-administration-over-unrwa-funding-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Texas judge grants GOP lawmaker standing to sue Biden administration over UNRWA funding - Washington Examiner\">federal government&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s most powerful agencies regulating food and medicine. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Not the best of news,&rdquo; wrote Max Lugavere, an author who appeared at a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/24\/rfk-at-senate-event-big-health-makes-money-when-americans-get-sick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">roundtable<\/a> on nutrition organized by allies of President Trump&rsquo;s health agenda last September.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Kailee Tkacz Buller is an interesting choice to head up the USDA&mdash;she&rsquo;s the former head of the National Oilseeds Processors Association, one of the largest seed oil lobbying groups in the US.<\/p>\n<p>Not the best news, but still a lot of moving parts. We must remain vigilant. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dPSjHszJgN\">pic.twitter.com\/dPSjHszJgN<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; Max Lugavere (@maxlugavere) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/maxlugavere\/status\/1881758278411264235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>President Trump&rsquo;s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/23\/rfk-jr-trashes-estrogenic-seed-oils-in-trump-endorsement-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">condemned<\/a> seed oils as inflammatory drivers of obesity and chronic disease. In his August endorsement speech of the Republican nominee, Kennedy indicted foods that &ldquo;consist primarily of processed sugar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-trashes-seed-oils-in-trump-endorsement-speech\/\" title=\"RFK Jr. Trashes Seed Oils In Trump Endorsement Speech\">ultra-processed grains<\/a>, and seed oils&rdquo; engineered by &ldquo;laboratory scientists&rdquo; from the cigarette industry for proliferating the nation&rsquo;s health care crises.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are mass poisoning all of our children,&rdquo; Kennedy said. <\/p>\n<p>Kennedy has been even more outspoken about the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/healthcare\/4984796-can-rfk-jr-put-an-end-to-the-revolving-door-between-government-and-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">corporate capture<\/a>&rdquo; of the nation&rsquo;s most power regulatory agencies and pledged to &ldquo;slam shut the revolving door&rdquo; of influence. Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsnationnow.com\/politics\/2024-election\/trump-rfk-jr-health-agencies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> on NewsNation that eliminating corruption and conflicts of interest were his top two priorities delivered to him by President Trump just days before the November election. A series of the president&rsquo;s senior picks at the USDA, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/11\/27\/trump-rollins-usda-rfk-influence-00191779\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to Politico, have shown the &ldquo;potential limits of Kennedy&rsquo;s power to pursue his &lsquo;Make America Healthy Again&rsquo; agenda in a Trump administration attuned to the concerns of industry.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A source close to Kennedy told The Federalist his team had pushed for Massie as secretary of USDA and called the president&rsquo;s latest choice of a seed oil lobbyist to serve as the agency&rsquo;s chief of staff a &ldquo;slap in the face to the MAHA movement.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Nina Teicholz, Ph.D. in nutrition and author of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Big-Fat-Surprise-Butter-Healthy\/dp\/1451624425\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Big Fat Surprise<\/a><\/em>, wrote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3259080\/seed-oils-took-over-diet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">op-ed<\/a> for the Washington Examiner last December on why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should re-examine the oils&rsquo; status of &ldquo;generally recognized as safe&rdquo; under Kennedy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Seed oil is chemically unstable. Its fatty acids degrade into oxidation products such as free radicals and degraded triglycerides. In one analysis, 130 volatile compounds were isolated from a piece of fried chicken, and these oxidation products can pass through the blood-brain barrier,&rdquo; she wrote. &ldquo;Seed oils degrade and oxidize even at room temperature, but heat accelerates the process, making frying especially hazardous&hellip; Yet, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">public health institutions remain staunch supporters<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>U.S. consumption of soybean oil jumped more than a thousand-fold from 1909 to1999 while grain consumption has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2016\/12\/13\/whats-on-your-table-how-americas-diet-has-changed-over-the-decades\/#:~:text=How%20America%27s%20diet%20has%20changed%20over%20the%20decades&amp;text=Americans%20eat%20more%20chicken%20and,lot%20more%20corn%2Dderived%20sweeteners.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increased<\/a> nearly 30 percent since the 1970s. <a href=\"https:\/\/foodtank.com\/news\/2022\/11\/database-indicates-u-s-food-supply-is-73-percent-ultra-processed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Seventy-three<\/a> percent of the American food supply is now ultraprocessed products operating on colossal taxpayer subsidies. In a September <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/trump-can-make-america-healthy-again-rfk-jr-reforms-chronic-disease-crisis-a9b4b8c0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">op-ed<\/a> for the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy said he wanted to reform these subsidies given the incumbent program is &ldquo;so backward that less than 2% of farm subsidies go to fruits and vegetables.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Soybean oil in the 1990s became a major source of American calories,&rdquo; Kennedy wrote, &ldquo;and high-fructose corn syrup is everywhere,&rdquo; driven by a subsidy regime to make corn, soybeans, and wheat, &ldquo;artificially cheap.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Tristan Justice is a national correspondent for The Federalist and the co-author of &#8220;Fat and Unhappy: How &#8216;Body Positivity&#8217; Is Killing Us (and How to Save Yourself).&#8221; He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign up for Tristan&#8217;s email newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/socialjusticeredux.substack.com\/about\">here<\/a>. Buy &#8220;Fat and Unhappy&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sz7EDAJI1c\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new USDA chief of staff is a junk food lobbyist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2394713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Corn-Oil-e1737728212141.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[45248,8858,5054,49141,19013],"class_list":["post-2394712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-agriculture-policy","tag-chief-of-staff","tag-lobbyist","tag-seed-oil","tag-usda"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Corn-Oil-e1737728212141.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2394712"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2394721,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394712\/revisions\/2394721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2394713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2394712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2394712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2394712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}