On December 23, the Senate finally confirmed Jose Emilio Esteban, PhD, as USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety, on the last day of business before the 177th Congress closed.

Dr. Esteban was nominated for the position by President Biden in November 2021, and has spent the last four years as chief scientist for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), offering scientific advice to support agency policies including the disciplines of microbiology, chemistry, and pathology. He’s been with the agency since 2001.