On December 23, the Senate voted to confirm Dr. Jose Emilio Esteban as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) sixth Under Secretary for Food Safety. The action came on the last day before the 177th Congress expired.
President Biden nominated Esteban as the nation’s sixth Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA on November 15, 2021. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry was tasked with reviewing the nomination, but it did not give Esteban a hearing until September 27, 2022. The office remained vacant while waiting for the Senate to act.