Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgia's Public Universities Steve Fennessy: Yeah. On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. Steve Fennessy: How unusual is it for a letter like that to be written? What's the implication there? 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. Steve Fennessy: Well, there was also some changes that happened on the board itself, right? I ran because I was frustrated with the government. Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. In July, as the general election heated up, the department tapped a Depression-era funding mechanism called the Commodity Credit Corporation to come up with $14 billionwithout having to consult Congressto hand to producers of commodities like corn, soybeans and wheat, ostensibly for losses due to the coronavirus. 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.. [News tape] 11Alive: This is where angry parents are accusing the school board of trying to indoctrinate students with controversial curriculum on race and American history. In 2018, while Perdue was secretary, Soque River Conservation asked the Army Corps to modify the credits held by the company in a way that could boost its value by nearly $3 million, the groups estimate. However, Perdue was faced with a Democratic House that would not allow the 1956 flag to be included in the referendum, due to its Confederate origins, and he needed support for a tobacco tax he wanted to pass to raise revenue. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo. [14][15], Perdue is not related to the family who owns and operates Perdue Farms (commonly associated with the brand "Perdue Chicken").[16][17]. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses. That decision and the selection of Mr. Perdue are both intrusions on academic freedom, Mr. Boedy, the University of North Georgia professor, said. [9], Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. Inexpensive, too! Like Trump, he's a former Democratwho ascended to political power (in Perdue's case, Georgia. Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
Sonny Perdue is a rarity: A Trump Cabinet member who went the - ajc 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. David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . Students and faculty members around the state are reacting to news that Republican former Gov. Saeger, of Accountable.US, said the inspector general still needs to review that claim. And you know, for a lot of critics, you know, it did raise their concerns about all of this. The Perdue USDAs largesse to large-scale farmers and agribusinesses went beyond cutting wages and protective measures for their workers. Steve Fennessy: When did we first hear that Sonny Perdue who was the outgoing Secretary of Agriculture in the Trump administration, of course a two-term former governor of Georgia was interested in the job of chancellor? Kemp has used congressional redistricting to add more Sonny Perdue supporters to the Board of Regents.
David Perdue is running for governor in Georgia. Here's what to know Meanwhile, in 2020, the pandemic ravaged meatpacking workers and put millions out of work, causing a surge in the need for food assistanceboth very much areas of concern for the agriculture department. It is no surprise that these made up accusations are coming out in the final weeks of October. Eric Stirgus: Yes, definitely.
Why Brian Kemp wants Sonny Perdue to lead Georgia's higher ed system He shortly thereafter became a committee chairman, then climbed the leadership ladder to majority leader and to Senate president pro tempore.
Employees turn their back on Agriculture secretary over being - CNN Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue pledged in 2017 to separate himself from his multimillion dollar business holdings that could pose conflicts of interest in his public duties. One is looking at his record, as you know, the governor of Georgia. [24], Late in the evening of March 29, 2005, the penultimate day of the legislative session, Representative Larry O'Neal, who also worked part-time as Perdue's personal lawyer, introduced legislation making capital gains tax owed on Georgia land sales deferrable if the income goes to purchase out-of-state land, also, unusually, making the tax break retroactive. Not surprisingly, the news has dismayed many, both inside and outside of academic circles, who worry that Sonny Perdue is conservative politics will set the university system on a dangerous course and even put the system's accreditation at risk. And you know, I think there have been a couple of state lawmakers who have publicly come out against the idea. Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. [31] The choices were a modified version of the First National Flag of the Confederate States of America, with the Georgia State Seal prominently displayed inside a circle of 13 stars, or the flag created in 2001 by the Roy Barnes administration. 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. Looking at the pandemic, they've also had to take on some additional responsibilities, such as, you know, managing coronavirus relief funds. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. The office directed the USDA chief to reimburse the government for travel expenses and other costs of the event. [14] He defeated Republican candidate Ned Sanders in 1990 and succeeded Democratic incumbent Ed Barker as the senator representing the 18th district.
How Perdue's power benefits his friends - POLITICO If a college loses accreditation, warned the agencys president, Belle S. Wheelan, it could cause enrollment declines, lead to bad publicity and revoke the schools access to federal money. Steve Fennessy: The last full-time permanent chancellor, why did they leave? This week, officials on the Board of Regents announced Perdue is the sole finalist for the top job of chancellor. [18], Perdue was elected as a Democrat in 1991, 1994, and 1996. The new questions surrounding Perdues 2017 agreement follow his rebuke last week by the Office of Special Counsel for using a taxpayer-funded event to promote President Donald Trumps reelection, in violation of the Hatch Act. Atlanta, GA 30318 Eric Stirgus: Georgia's top elected officials constantly talk about, you know, we need workers who are college and career ready, people who can just step into jobs.
How Trump's Food Box Initiative Overpaid And Underdelivered Eric Stirgus: I think, you know, his critics have a couple of reasons that they're concerned. [22], Perdue advocated reforms designed to cut waste in government, most notably the sale of surplus vehicles and real estate. Eric Stirgus: The chancellor is hired by the Board of Regents as a 19-member body, and all of those folks are appointed by the governor and so they serve seven-year terms. You know, I've worked with him, but you know, I just didn't feel like, you know, he was the best person for the job. [40], In 2008, Perdue worked with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to implement Ready Georgia, a campaign to increase disaster preparedness throughout the state. [13], In 1971, Perdue earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, and worked as a veterinarian before becoming a small business owner, eventually starting three small businesses. What Is Sonny Perdue Doing Now? SteveFennessyis host of Georgia Today,a weekly radio show and podcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting thatexplains stories of interest to Georgians through the experience and perspective of the reporters covering those stories. But is there a way of, like, by appointing by at least advancing the candidacy of Sonny Perdue for chancellor is this a way for Brian Kemp to gain some political points with some Trump voters out there? Subsequently, the trust sold off AGrowStar LLC and Pro Ag Products LLC (none of the other assets posed any conflict of interest with his duties as Secretary of Agriculture).
Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. 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. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. [News tape] WSB: In a statement, Perdue said education funding was affected by twin recessions while he was governor. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? He stated that legitimate, measurable carbon trading could spur so-called carbon sequestration by giving farmers an incentive to innovate. 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. . These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in . Why are we still talking about this, then? Former US Secretary of Agriculture and former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue were named chancellor of the University System of Georgia by the Board of Regents today (USG). [News tape] 11Alive: He tweeted, "Brian Kemp is running for governor of the Great State of Georgia. Through it all, Perdue maintained his extraordinary podcast, The Sonnyside of the Farm, a monthly testament to the genius of his boss and the glory of big agribusiness. USDA argues that the reorganization Perdue laid out in his 2017 ethics agreement was intended to separate the secretary from two agribusinesses in particular: grain merchandiser AGrowStar LLC and grain marketer Pro Ag Products, both of which were also owned by Perdue Business Holdings before they were sold to outside buyers. Perdue is the first cousin of former U.S. In this 2017 post, I recount some of the port-related shenanigans the cousins Perdue got up to together, including launching a port-reliant export business. Perdue announced the final relocation site in a letter that was distributed to employees Thursday morning. While it is often especially difficult for members of a governing board who are appointed by the governor or legislative body to remain independent in their work, it is imperative that they do or they place the accreditation of the institution they govern in jeopardy." Kemp replaced them with two additional members. Conley. [21] He became the first Republican governor of Georgia in 131 years since Benjamin F. [48], During meetings with Georgia state port officials, then-Governor Perdue discussed his family business's use of a terminal, then started a new export company in Savannah soon after leaving office. But you know, obviously, you know, there's been a lot of talk recently about issues like critical race theory. Sonny Perdue is cousins with David Perdue, who is now engaged in a bitter primary battle against Brian Kemp Brian Kemp, who, of course, is backing Sonny Perdue. [54] In December 2018, he changed the nutrition standards for school lunches to allow more refined grains, allow milk with added sugar, and increased sodium.
Trump-backed Perdue struggles in Republican primary challenge in - CNN 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. That's next. I'm joined by Eric Stirgus, who covers higher education for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Quite honestly, I've been in the private sector for 30 years. 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] WSB: As governor, Perdue's record on education is also being called into question. Eric Stirgus: There have been some faculty members who have, you know, written letters to the University System of Georgia, you know, stating their opposition.
Sonny Perdue faces ethics questions over his business holdings 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. [19] After his first year in office, Senator Perdue wrote then Lt. Lance Cheung/USDA; Mother Jones Illustration. There's been a lot of different issues that colleges are facing regarding social issues and political issues. Entitled President Trumps Affection for American Farmers, the episode featured the host and former White House press secretary competing to see who could lavish the most praise on Trump. 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. Steve Fennessy: How big is the university system? In 2010, at the tail end of his second term as governor, Perdue named his cousin, David Perduewho had just stepped down as chief executive of Dollar General discount storesto the board of the Georgia Ports Authority. Kemp can use that to the Republican base and say, "Hey, you know, I have one of the most loyal Trump guys you know, and, you know, if I appointed him to a very important position here in state government and we know we've had a long-standing relationship. Steve Fennessy: So I'm guessing that maybe he wants to stay out of this altogether, or do we know if he is going to make any kind of public statement endorsing one way or the other? In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked manyby announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. Eric Stirgus: Yes. Why isn't he going back to his farm? I can't imagine Sonny Perdue doing that." [46] The land was eventually sold to developers; however, the state was evaluating bidding on the property and keeping it as a reserve. [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. American Oversight and another watchdog group, Accountable.US, claim that violates Perdues 2017 agreement with ethics officials that he would restructure his original family trust and transfer all of its stock in Perdue Business Holdings to a new, irrevocable trust that wouldnt be overseen by or benefit the secretary. He's also a fierce advocate for Sonny Perdue to land the chancellor job, saying his experience . What is that history? The latest scrutiny stems from Perdues wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development a complex web of trusts, land parcels, holding companies and subsidiaries. Georgia Today: Is Mayor Bottoms Paying The Political Cost For A COVID Crime Wave? The Perdue USDA also insisted that federally funded grocery boxes distributed by food banks contain a letter signed by Trump, touting the administrations coronavirus response. 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.
Trump Cabinet Member Sonny Perdue Appears To Acknowledge - HuffPost "The. [27] In 2007, Georgia moved up to 46th place. 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. He would not be the first governor to move into academia: Former Gov. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgias public university system. "You have got to have stuff where there is a lot of traffic. So without that accreditation, it could severely impact, you know, enrollment. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue told the crowd at last week's event in North Carolina that he got a call from the White House. [46] Perdue failed to disclose his ownership of the property in required financial disclosure forms. [24] The State Ethics Commission ruled against Perdue twice, finding that he had taken improper campaign contributions from donors including SunTrust Banks and that he had improperly used one of his family business's airplanes on the campaign, for which the commission fined the sitting governor. Why is accreditation important for a university system like Georgia's? A Senate panel backed a bill on Tuesday that would put pressure on local school boards to adhere to the open meetings laws and create barriers to removing disruptive parents from meetings. Steve Fennessy: What did you think when you first heard about that? He was the only member of the Trump administration to endorse such a plan. This week on Georgia Today, we look at some issues Bottoms faced during her tenure as mayor with CNN national correspondentRyan Young. [25], In 2007, Perdue convinced a skeptical legislature to approve a $19 million fishing tourism program he called Go Fish Georgia. Not satisfied with fighting to take food off the tables of poor families, Perdue also set his sights on farm workers. Steve Fennessy: This has been percolating for a while now, Eric: this this idea of Sonny Perdue as the next chancellor of the University of Georgia system. In December 2001, Perdue resigned as state senator and devoted himself entirely to running for the office of Governor of Georgia. [2] He previously served as the 81st governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011; Perdue was the first Republican to hold the office since the Reconstruction era.[3]. Who hires the chancellor? [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.
Georgia regents name Sonny Perdue finalist to lead University System Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes was also on the ballot. The former Georgia governor has a background in agriculture. The secretarys 2019 filing also shows nearly $140,000 in income from Soque River Conservation LLC, which holds land along the Soque River in northern Georgia and is held by a separate trust that Perdue first reported last year. It's us but for your ears.
10 Things You Didn't Know About Sonny Perdue - US News & World Report [12], In education, Perdue promoted the return of most decision-making to the local level. Perdue and a partner purchased the agricultural land in 2009 and later earned so-called mitigation bank credits for converting the tract for wetland conservation purposes, according to the watchdog organizations. Sonny Perdue served two terms as governor of Georgia before being named Agriculture Secretary in the Trump administration. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[49] with Bernie Sanders and nine Democrats voting against him. [30], In 2001, Democratic governor Roy Barnes replaced the 1956 state flag, which incorporated the battle flag of the Confederacy, and which had been adopted by Georgia largely as a protest against desegregation. I'm Steve Fennessy. You know, he provided the money for the budget for the university system, and he understands how the system, you know, to a certain degree, you know, how the system works. The secretarys office contends he has complied with the agreement. At least he is out of the gate. Mr. Kemp had received Mr. Trumps endorsement in 2018, but their relationship deteriorated following the Kemp administrations refusal to undermine Georgias presidential election results in 2020. [45], During his governorship, the Georgia State Ethics Commission received thirteen complaints against Perdue. [7] His appointment was approved by an 8711 vote by the Senate on April 24. The Board of Regents is expected to confirm Perdue's appointment in the next two weeks. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. And besides the national prominence afforded any state governor, Perdue garnered widespread attention for his actions in 2007 during the worst drought in Georgia's history. Eric Stirgus: During his time as agriculture secretary there was, you know, there's been some criticism about his record, you know, concerning issues such as climate change. His committee assignments included Ethics, Finance & Public Utilities, Health & Human Services, Reapportionment, and Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Affairs. [7] [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. But the threat is part of the latest controversy for the Board of Regents, which in October approved a new policy where universities can fire tenured professors with little to no faculty input. [47], Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election. [51], Perdue was the designated survivor on January 30, 2018, for President Trump's first State of the Union address. GPB is committedto bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia, across the country and around the world. [53] In August 2017, he announced a mentoring program for new farmers. Perdue is poised within . The policy, according to the American Association of University Professors, is the only one of its kind in the country. On December 30, 2016, Perdue's company AGrowStar purchased property and a facility from Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM), a large American agribusiness corporation that the Department of Agriculture regulates. On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. [25] Perdue signed the legislation into law on April 12, 2005, three days before tax day. The commitments entailed moving his holdings into a new trust and agreeing not to serve as a trustee or beneficiary of the fund. Eric Stirgus: Correct.
Georgia Runoff: Perdue-Ossoff Senate Race Heads To Runoff : NPR - NPR.org Since joining the Trump administration, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue's complicated network of ties to Georgia-based entities including his family's company, Perdue Partners raised questions about potential conflicts of interest as well as his working relationship with his cousin, Georgia Sen. David Perdue. Each of those firms is owned by Perdue Business Holdings Inc., and Secretary Perdues newly created FALF Management Trust of which the secretary is a co-trustee owns 100 percent of the voting stock in Perdue Business Holdings, according to his 2019 disclosure. 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. He oversees 26 public colleges and universities with a $9.8 billion annual budget, 48,000 faculty and staff and more than 340,000 students. You know, he's a strong conservative, you know, and he's David Perdue's cousin. [60] In August 2019, Lewis Ziska, a USDA plant physiology climate scientist, quit after department administrators attempted to impede the publication of one of his studies in the journal Science Advances. Kudlow used the opportunity to fluff Trumps economic record. Presumably, some political appointees who served in the Trump administration did so with earnest intentions, hoping to bring dignity and professionalism to the task of advancing the Republican agenda of deregulation, austerity (for non-cronies), and upward wealth redistribution. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue pledged in 2017 to separate himself from his multimillion dollar business holdings that could pose conflicts of interest in his public duties. RELATED: Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. Eric Stirgus: There was some support on the regents, but not enough support to get him across the finish line to be named as chancellor. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Perdue led Ossoff in the . Faster kill lines boost packer profits even as they put already pandemic-stressed workers under greater strain, while also making proper social distancing even more difficult. Perdue restructured his original family trust into a new fund that he did not oversee, and the fund then sold off two of his businesses directly involved in agriculture the only assets that posed potential conflicts, according to a USDA spokesperson. The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. But then prior to him, you had Errol Davis, who was a utilities company executive and he had no administrative experience in higher education. Listen on Apple Podcasts. A longtime Atlanta-based journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of Atlanta magazine.