 |
 |
|
|
|
National & World Ag News Headlines |
 |
Perdue Confirmed as Agriculture Secretary
USAgNet - 04/25/2017
The Senate on Monday confirmed Sonny Perdue to be agriculture secretary in President Donald Trump's administration. The former Georgia governor won confirmation on a strong bipartisan vote of 87-11, as several Democrats backed a Trump nominee after
razor-thin outcomes for his choices earlier this year.
Perdue will be the first Southerner in the post in more than two decades. He has owned several agricultural businesses. At his confirmation hearing in March, Perdue assured nervous farm-state senators that he will advocate for rural America, even as Trump has
proposed deep cuts to some farm programs. He also promised to reach out to Democrats.
The 70-year-old is getting a late start on the job. Trump nominated him just two days before his inauguration, and then the nomination was delayed for weeks as the administration prepared his ethics paperwork. Perdue eventually said he would step down from
several companies bearing his name to avoid conflicts of interest.
As agriculture secretary, he'll be in charge of around 100,000 employees and the nation's food and farm programs, including agricultural subsidies, conservation efforts, rural development programs, food safety and nutrition programs such as food stamps and
federally-subsidized school meal,
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said Perdue will help facilitate recovery in small American towns.
"I know he will put the needs of farmers, ranchers and others in rural America first," Roberts said.
Perdue's main task over the coming year will be working with Congress and coordinating his department's input on the next five-year farm bill. Current farm policy expires next year, and lawmakers on the House and Senate agriculture committees will have to
find a way to push it through Congress amid heightened partisan tensions and concerns over spending.
"Secretary Perdue is a long-time friend to me and farmers across Georgia, and soon to the millions of men and women across our country who feed and clothe our nation," said American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. "He is a real-world farmer himself
and knows the business inside out. He understands the impact farm labor shortages, trade agreements and regulations have on a farmer's bottom line and ability to stay in business from one season to the next."
National Pork Producers Council President Ken Maschhoff calls Perdue the kind of leader the pork industry, and the entire livestock industry, needs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
|
 |
|
 |
|
Copyright © 2024 - Farms.com. All Rights Reserved. |
 |
|
