text: Tenure During his tenure, Vilsack announced that the USDA would leverage $100 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to expand America's meat processing capacity.
  Personal life
  Vilsack met his wife, Ann Christine "Christie" Bell, in a cafeteria while at Hamilton College in New York in October 1968. Vilsack approached her and asked, "Are you a Humphrey or a Nixon supporter?" She replied "Humphrey" and they soon began dating. On August 18, 1973, the couple was married in Christie Vilsack's hometown of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Vilsack and his wife moved to Mount Pleasant in 1975, where he joined his father-in-law's law practice.
  Tom and Christie Vilsack have two sons, Jess and Doug.
  In May 2017, Vilsack's six-year-old granddaughter, Ella, died of complications from influenza.
  Vilsack won $150,000 in the Powerball in 2020.
  Electoral history
  1992 election for Iowa State Senate, 49th District:
  Democratic Primary
  Tom Vilsack (D), 100.0%
  1992 General Election:
  Tom Vilsack (D), 50.1% – 12,544 votes
  Dave Heaton (R), 42.1% – 10,551 votes
  Dan Reed (I), 7.8% – 1,945 votes
  1994 election for Iowa State Senate, 49th District:
  Democratic Primary
  Tom Vilsack (D), 99.9% – 1,201 votes
  scattering, 0.1% – 1 vote
  1994 General Election:
  Tom Vilsack (D), 98.8% – 12,288 votes
  scattering, 1.2% – 145 votes