USDA Trade Chief Tapped for WFP Post

WASHINGTON (DTN) -- Agriculture Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg has won the position of executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, DTN has learned.

The appointment for the Rome-based position is for five years.

The intended appointment was revealed Friday in a letter Courtenay Rattray, the chief of staff to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, sent to Carla Barroso Carneiro, permanent representative of Brazil to the Food and Agriculture Organization and president of the World Food Program executive board.

DTN obtained a copy of the letter (see link below).

The most recent executive director was Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who President Biden nominated.

In the letter, Rattray noted that Guterres and Qu Dongyu, the director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, had selected Lindberg, who had been nominated by the Trump administration.

Lindberg is the son-in-law of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Lindberg's appointment continues the UN practice since 1992 of naming an American to head the WFP, the world's largest food aid distributor. The United States has traditionally been the biggest donor to WFP.

Lindberg's appointment comes as the Trump administration has sharply reduced U.S. foreign-assistance spending and restructured international food-aid programs. U.S. foreign aid fell by roughly $26 billion in fiscal 2025, while the administration sought to eliminate the Food for Peace program before Congress moved to preserve funding.
Before becoming undersecretary, Lindberg founded South Dakota Trade, an export expansion group. He served as chief strategy officer for the Export-Import Bank of the United States in the first Trump administration, and as a senior fellow at the America First Policy Institute.

When his role begins, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins will have to select a new undersecretary -- a nominee who will have to undergo a Senate confirmation hearing and vote. Congress has many eligible retiring senators and congressional representatives who could fill his role.

The letter noted that the secretariat of the United Nations had invited UN member countries to submit nominations and also advertised publicly for candidates. The letter also stated that 54 nominations/applications were received, nine candidates were shortlisted, and four were finalists.

Rattray instructed Carneiro to engage in "consultations" with the WFP board. Once those consultations conclude, the United Nations will proceed with the appointment and public announcement, Rattray said.

McCain stepped down June 1 to recover from a stroke. Carl Skau, a Swedish civil servant who is the acting executive director, has spoken frequently about WFP's need for additional donations to address food shortages in the Middle East and other parts of the world.

One nomination remains in the global food security panels -- the Director General for the UN-FAO. The position is currently held by Qu Dongyu of China. His term ends in July 2027.

The U.S. has not formally nominated a candidate, though 100 agricultural groups have pushed for the administration to back FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol, based on a letter sent to the White House in March.

Bethdol is a former association leader and private ag sector CEO from Indiana. The agriculture development community has been unsure about the idea that a U.S. representative can hold both the WFP and UN-FAO top positions.

See the nomination letter of Lindberg: https://www.hagstromreport.com/…
See ag groups letter in support of Bethdol: https://www.thefencepost.com/…

DTN Ag Policy Editor Jake Zajkowski contributed to this report.

Jerry Hagstrom can be reached at jhagstrom@nationaljournal.com

Follow him on social platform X @hagstromreport

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