I can't imagine Sonny Perdue doing that." [55], In July 2019, Perdue ordered two USDA agenciesthe Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agricultureto move from the USDA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. to the Kansas City metropolitan area. And so, you know, they point to things like that and they also point to issues, you know, point to things that, you know, hey, other states have hired elected officials and former politicians to lead colleges or universities. Some would say the most important job is, you know, making sure that money that comes from the state is sent to the schools and is being spent properly. "[36], On November 13, 2007, while Georgia suffered from one of the worst droughts in several decades, Perdue led a group of several hundred people in prayer on the steps of the state Capitol. [40], In 2008, Perdue worked with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to implement Ready Georgia, a campaign to increase disaster preparedness throughout the state. Perdue will begin his duties as the 14th chancellor on April 1, according to a press release from USG. The staff of Mother Jones is highlighting the years heroes and monsters. He spent his 2020 like he spent the other years of his Washington stint: flattering his boss at every opportunity, and lavishing largesse on political allies while undercutting poor people and food-system workers. You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. Sonny Perdue issues state of emergency for 17 Georgia counties", "Perdue fails to disclose '04 purchase of land", "Trump to announce Sonny Perdue for Agriculture", "Sonny Perdue Sworn in as 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture", "Trump hires campaign workers instead of farmworkers at USDA", "Sonny Perdue is Trump's 'designated survivor' for State of the Union 2018", "Perdue tells second Iowa Ag Summit he wants to support new farmers", "Trump administration to return refined grains to school lunches", Many USDA workers to quit as research agencies move to Kansas City: 'The brain drain we all feared', ERS union predicts mass exodus ahead of relocation, 'Cut, Relocate, Eviscerate': Moving a USDA Research Agency Will Have Lasting Consequences, Employees Say, Economists flee Agriculture Dept. Sonny Perdue Sworn in as 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture June 23, 2021. [67], Perdue's assets during his time as Secretary were placed in blind trusts, as is common to prevent financial conflicts of interest. How Perdue's power benefits his friends - POLITICO The credits are meant to offset the environmental impact of land development and they can be bought and sold on the marketplace. [43], Beginning in 2007, Governor Perdue began to pursue the goal of making Georgia the "bass-fishing tourism mecca". The crux of the watchdog complaint comes down to a handful of Perdues businesses the secretary reported as sources of income, at least a half-million dollars, on his 2019 filing. I ran because I was frustrated with the government. And then also there has been, through the congressional redistricting process, you know, because of some changes insome of the districts, you know, we've had two additional changes on the regents where two members are now no longer on the board and the governor has replaced another one of those members and all three of the members that he has replaced are people who have been, you know, very supportive of the governor in the past through campaign contributions and other ways. From the year 2017 to 2021, George has served as the 31st United States Secretary Of Agriculture. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? The design of the 2001 Georgian flag was widely unpopular, being derisively named the "Barnes flag". Similarly, while the pandemic savaged meatpacking workers, killing at least 563 as of mid-December, the ag department kept on with a trend it had started in 2019: allowing giant poultry companies to speed up their slaughterhouse kill lines. Mr. Perdue, a graduate of the University of Georgia, said he considered the opportunity to lead the university system, which has more than 340,000 students, as the capstone to a career of public service. David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . Sonny Perdue has long mixed personal and political business to benefit his friends and business associates and he's on track to do it again. Across the state, teachers have found themselves caught in a conservative battle to ban divisive topics from classrooms, which Republican lawmakers define as a various list of ideas regarding race. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked manyby announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. The commitments entailed moving his holdings into a new trust and agreeing not to serve as a trustee or beneficiary of the fund. Steve Fennessy: How big is the university system? And I'm curious about why it's elicited such a ferocious response on the side of those who are for the idea, but also those who are against it. "You have got to have stuff where there is a lot of traffic. His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017. [14][15], Perdue is not related to the family who owns and operates Perdue Farms (commonly associated with the brand "Perdue Chicken").[16][17]. One is looking at his record, as you know, the governor of Georgia. Feb. 15, 2022 Georgia's public university system said on Tuesday that former Gov. And then also, I think, you know, there's been some criticism that he's not the best qualified person for the position. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "As the vigil ended, the sun shone through what had been a cloudy morning. Eric Stirgus: Yes. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. His Democratic opponent was Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor. Secretary Perdue did nothing wrong when he complied with his ethics agreement and followed the advice of career ethics officers at USDA (at considerable personal expense) to restructure his trusts.. Eric Stirgus: Yeah it's an important issue because, you know, colleges and universities that do not have accreditation, they can their students cannot get federal financial aid that helps pay for tuition for a lot of college students. One is there was a group of students who created a group called Students against Sonny. Perdue is poised within . The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. So we have not had a chancellor at least, a non-interim chancellor for at least seven or eight months, right? Founder and partner in an agricultural trading company,[4] Perdue served from 2012 to 2017 on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.[3][5] He is the second secretary of agriculture from the Deep South; the first was Mike Espy of Mississippi, who served under President Bill Clinton from January 1993 to December 1994. Report: ADM sold plant to Sonny Perdue weeks after being named Trump ag The state's Board of Regents on Wednesday named a veteran finance official as the acting chancellor of Georgia's public university system, stalling former Gov. The Washington Post detailed several wish-list items that ADM achieved: loosening of regulations on pork production, fewer inspections, helping lobby against proposed government bans on glyphosate by Thailand and Vietnam, and promoting ethanol and biodiesel. [News tape] FOX5: The choice of Perdue has already drawn criticism from student groups and university professors who describe Perdue as a career politician with no experience in higher education. [24] During his governorship, Perdue collected at least $25,000 in gifts, including sporting event tickets and airplane flights. Sonny Perdue faces ethics questions over his business holdings [50], In September 2017, Politico reported that, according to 42 reviewed resumes, the department hired 22 former Trump campaign workers, many of which had no significant agricultural knowledge or experience with federal policies. You know, he's a strong conservative, you know, and he's David Perdue's cousin. [72], In 2006, Perdue's financial disclosure forms revealed that he had a net worth of approximately $6 million and received compensation of $700,000 that year.[73]. Steve Fennessy: When you look at past chancellors in the university system of Georgia, is that a position where the person who gets the job is typically coming from a higher educational background? after feeling punished under Trump", 'It feels like something out of a bad sci-fi movie', The Trump administration is suppressing climate science, "US agriculture secretary breaks ranks to endorse carbon pricing", "USDA chief violated Hatch Act by advocating for Trump re-election, gov't watchdog says", "USDA's Perdue fined for violating Hatch Act while promoting food boxes", "Perdue rebuked for violating ethics law by boosting Trump's reelection", "The land was worth millions. So I think there is some concern out there among some of them. But last year, he disclosed he had become trustee of a newly formed fund that includes many of the same assets as his original family trust. Brian Kemp is not. [9], Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. His committee assignments included Ethics, Finance & Public Utilities, Health & Human Services, Reapportionment, and Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Affairs. I'm Steve Fennessy. The likely appointment of Mr. Perdue, a Republican, comes during a volatile time in Georgia politics, with the State Legislature considering several bills that would ban, or limit, how race and activism are taught in the classroom. Perdue has long been Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters, visiting all 50 states to spread the presidents message and spearheading massive taxpayer aid programs that kept farmers afloat through Trumps trade war and the pandemic. Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgias Public Universities, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/us/sonny-perdue-georgia-chancellor.html. Then there were the full-on MAGA-bots like Sonny Perdue, the Georgia politician and agribusiness entrepreneur who became agriculture secretary. Later, FALF Management Trust was created. So, you know, we've been hearing that this from faculty members who have been upset about, you know, some of his credentials in that space. Sonny Perdue Named Chancellor of the University System of Georgia - USG [25] Perdue then used the new law on his 2004 tax return to defer $100,000 in taxable gains from the sale of land. David Perdue is running against Democrat Jon Ossoff in one of two runoff elections in the state that will determine control of the U.S. Senate in the next Congress. As governor, Perdue mastered the Trumpian strategy of using know-nothing bigotry as a beard for brazen self-dealing, sometimes involving his own family. Trump said Friday that he has directed Perdue to provide at least $16 billion in relief. The reallocation entailed raising the companys holdings of highly valuable wetlands credits while lowering its portion of much cheaper stream credits. "[37], According to a March 5, 2008, proclamation by Perdue, "Among those who served the Confederacy were many African-Americans, both free and slave, who saw action in the Confederate armed forces in many combat roles. Jess Mador is our producer. Watchdog organizations are now calling for the Agriculture Departments inspector general to investigate whether Perdue has run afoul of the ethics agreement he signed as a nominee for the job early in the Trump administration. Steve Fennessy: What form has that opposition taken on college campuses or in academic circles? In the podcasts final episode before the election, released Oct. 29, Perdue hosted another MAGA loyalist, the high-living former Wall Street man and TV personality Larry Kudlow, the non-economist who Trump improbably chose to lead the National Economic Council. The property (in Estill, South Carolina) had originally been purchased by ADM for 5.5 million dollars, and independent assessments and government tax assessors agree on that as a fair range; however, AGrowStar was offered the property for US$250,000, a fraction of its value. This is Georgia Today. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, payments on the Go Fish bonds, approved by Perdue and the General Assembly in 2007, runs through December 2027 with most payments $1 million a year in bond money. In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. Not that Perdue lacks national stature - he was the governor of Georgia, a heavily agricultural state, from 2003 to 2011. David Perdue is saying, "I'm the big Trump guy here." It pays pretty well. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. Now to me, Eric, that sounds like a kind of an implied threat that appointing Sonny Perdue as chancellor could mean that we'd lose accreditation.

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