Schafer action today

It appears the Senate is poised to confirm Ed Schafer by consent agreement this afternoon, from a report from the office of Sen. Tom Harkin.

Here is the Wikipedia reference page on Schafer, with some recent history:

Schafer has also served as an advisor and sometimes spokesperson for the North Dakota chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a nationwide limited-government/pro-growth organization.

On October 31, 2007 Schafer was nominated by President Bush to be the next Secretary of Agriculture[1]. His hearing was originally scheduled for January 30, 2008, but was moved to January 24 on the request on North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad so that Schafer could attend the State of the Union address as a cabinet member[2]. The hearing was held on January 24; it was friendly[3], with Senators asking Gov. Schafer questions on various topics such as US beef exports to Japan and South Korea, the Department of Agriculture's ability to deliver on programs passed by Congress, policy on sugar, and cotton prices[4].