Senate Must Reject Unqualified Conspiracy Theorist Sam Clovis

President Trump has nominated the right-wing radio host, Sam Clovis as the top scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Clovis, who is from Sioux City, served as Trump’s co-chairman and adviser on agricultural issues. He’s a former college economics professor and conservative talk radio host. Senators’ Grassley and Ernst serve on the Senate Agricultural Committee that will hold confirmation hearings on Clovis.

The primary qualification for the Chief Scientist at the USDA is a science background. The 2008 Farm Bill established the Under Secretary Chief Scientist position. The Bill specifically calls for the appointee to have an extensive career in agricultural science.

“The Under Secretary shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from among distinguished scientists with specialized training or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics,” the statute reads.

Clovis is totally unqualified, having no background in general science or the essential agricultural credentials demanded of this important position. Clovis has been an outspoken anti-science critic on climate change. His climate denial positions are in direct opposition to the nearly unanimous agreement by the majority of climate scientists. In 2014, Clovis told Iowa Public Radio that climate science is “junk science” and “not proven.”

“I am extremely skeptical. I have looked at the science and I have enough of a science background … And a lot of the science is junk science. It’s not proven. I don’t think there’s any substantive information available to me that doesn’t raise as many questions as it does answers. So I’m a skeptic,” he said.

Democrats have already voiced their opposition to Clovis. He may run into opposition from some Republicans as well. In a 2013 interview he said “crop insurance subsides are unconstitutional.” In another interview in 2014 he said this about crop insurance.

“Most of the Iowa farmers I talk to would just as soon have the government out of their lives and that includes the [crop] insurance program,” Clovis said.

He has recently reversed course and now says crop insurance is necessary. His earlier statements that crop insurance is unconstitutional may come back to haunt him.

Clovis has a long record of engaging in fringe conspiracy theories, dismissing the facts about former President Obama’s background. He also stoked the birther movement that President Obama was born in Kenya.

“For over a decade, Obama allowed his publisher to carry a biography that had him born in Kenya. Only after beginning his pursuit of public office did he ‘correct’ the entry,” Clovis wrote. “He (Obama) was brought up by socialists to be a socialist. His associations were socialists or worse, criminal dissidents who were bent on overthrowing the government of the United States. He has no experience at anything other than race baiting and race trading as a community organizer.” “He is a Maoist, anti-colonialist who is also a pathological narcissist. This is a very dangerous combination.”

Clovis’ history on LGBTQ issues has been despicable as well. He has repudiated the accepted science on sexual orientation. Clovis claims that the science on homosexuality is unsettled and that “LGBT behavior” is a choice. In addition, he takes it a step further by his slanderous accusations that it leads to pedophilia.

“If we protect LGBT behavior, what other behaviors are we going to protect? Are we going to protect pedophilia? Are we going to protect polyamorous marriage relationships? Are we going to protect people who have fetishes,” said Clovis.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has been warning that Clovis is neither qualified or acceptable as the Chief Scientist at the USDA. Mike Lavender, UCS senior Washington representative said Clovis is unacceptable.

“Clovis’ appointment as USDA chief scientist is unacceptable and would lower the high standards that America’s scientists, universities, farmers and consumers expect. His ignorant and offensive statements on race and LGBTQ issues expose how much of a threat Clovis is to science-based governance—and to communities across the U.S. We encourage senators on both sides of the aisle to join this effort to protect all Americans from the dangers of eliminating rigorous scientific decision-making from a key administrative position that will shape the future of our nation’s food and farm system.”

Steven Salzberg, who is the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, and Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University, wrote in Forbes that the Senate should reject Clovis as incompetent.

“Overseeing the USDA’s research programs requires strong expertise in biological science. A non-scientist has no basis for deciding which research is going well or which questions present the most promising avenues for research,” wrote Salzberg.

Both Senators Ernst and Grassley serve on the Senate Agricultural Committee and must confirm the Clovis nomination. This position as Chief Scientist is crucial to the future of Iowa agriculture and Senators’ Ernst and Grassley have a responsibility to reject Clovis. They have a duty to see that a qualified scientist fills this important role.

by Rick Smith
Posted 8/25/17