WASHINGTON — Earlier this week, the House Democratic Steering Committee recommended Representative David Scott (D-Ga.) to become chairman of the House Agriculture Committee when a new Congress is formed in 2021.

After the November election, Scott announced on his government website that he planned to seek the chairmanship. He has served on the Agriculture Committee since 2002 and currently works as the head of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.

“Today our nation faces perhaps the most significant struggles any of us have seen in our lifetime,” Scott said in a statement in November. “Across rural and urban communities and from young to old, the threats posed by global illness, hunger, financial insecurity, climate change, and natural disasters are significant. As our nation’s legislative body, it is the duty of Congress to address, through this Committee, the insecurities plaguing our citizens and provide the means for a more fruitful existence.”

Scott will become the first African American to chair the Agriculture Committee. He will replace Representative Collin Peterson of Minnesota, who lost his bid for a 16th term in the House of Representatives.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released a statement supporting the nomination.

"Congressman Scott is a devoted friend of America’s cattle producers and I congratulate him on being selected by his colleagues to lead the House Agriculture Committee,” said Colin Woodall, chief executive officer of NCBA. “His leadership and expertise on cattle issues demonstrates his commitment to helping producers succeed. He is a consummate leader and an ideal choice to lead the committee. NCBA members are looking forward to the opportunity to continue working with him in the future."