Stephen Vaden, a native of Union City, Tennessee, was confirmed as deputy secretary of agriculture on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, by a vote of 51 to 44 on the Senate floor. Vaden currently serves as a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade and will transition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. President Donald Trump nominated Vaden for the post on Dec. 22, 2024.

Vaden previously served as general counsel at USDA during Trump’s first administration. He was confirmed as general counsel on Nov. 27, 2018, and sworn in on Dec. 14, 2018, succeeding Lee Fink. He served in that role until his appointment to the Court of International Trade in October 2019.

Vaden was valedictorian of his graduating class at Union City High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University. He later earned a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. He previously practiced law at Patton Boggs and Jones Day, specializing in administrative law and other areas.