The U.S. Senate confirmed Stephen Vaden as the Department of Agriculture’s general counsel on Tuesday.

Vaden was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the general counsel of the USDA in September 2017. Two months after his nomination, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents the USDA’s attorneys and legal professionals, came out against Vaden, alleging that he is anti-union.

Stephen Vaden. Photo: Ken Hammond/USDA

“As someone who grew up in Obion County, Tennessee, and still regularly returns there on weekends, the challenges and issues facing rural America are personal to me. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary [George 'Sonny'] Perdue and the rest of the USDA team to implement the president’s agenda to bring prosperity back to our rural communities,” Vaden said in an email in response to a request for comment.