How did we find out about that? DECATUR The Washington Post on Tuesday published a story that Archer Daniels Midland Co. sold a grain storage plant valued at millions of dollars to Sonny Perdue for $250,000 weeks after he . Georgia Today: Is Mayor Bottoms Paying The Political Cost For A COVID Crime Wave? Steve Fennessy: What did you think when you first heard about that? Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has long been President Donald Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters. And Sonny Perdue was one of the only, if not the only cabinet member who went the distance in the Donald Trump administration. Revoking accreditation to schools including the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State and Georgia Southern would be a monumental step. [42] The floods resulted in Perdue declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties. Sonny Perdue and Brian Kemp have a longstanding relationship politically, and then you have Sonny Perdue's cousin who is running against the governor now in the GOP primary. 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. Brian Kemp: Obviously, this is huge for our campaign. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said today that he did not plan to step down from his Cabinet duties, amid reports that the president is getting ready to make several . 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. [44], Upon the end of Perdue's term as governor, many in the Georgia General Assembly condemned the project and Perdue after an advisory council (appointed by Perdue) began to funnel additional bond money to the project located in his home county. American Oversight is now calling on the inspector general to investigate whether Perdue improperly participated in any such decision, given his ethics pledge to stay out of any matters that might have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of the assets in his trusts. You know, I guess at the time, they sort of came to an impasse and there was a search firm that was hired to help with the process, but pulled out of the process. Sonny Perdue's . Then the pandemic hit, ripping through migrant farm worker communities, who toiled on with little in the way of protective gear or opportunities for social distancing. Undeterred by the pandemic-led spike in hunger, Perdue also doubled- and tripled-down on a long-held goal: boosting work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that would eliminate food aid forat least 1.2 million peopleabout a third of them households containing senior citizens, nearly a quarter with children, and 11 percent with a disabled person, according tononpartisan think tank Mathematica. [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. Secretary Perdue has visibility into and control over the trusts and their underlying assets, and he continues to benefit from them despite the plain terms of his 2017 ethics agreement, Evers wrote to the inspector general. And so now he's no longer on the regents. The association has publicly condemned how the university system selected Mr. Perdue, a process that largely occurred in meetings without faculty input and closed to the public. The design of the 2001 Georgian flag was widely unpopular, being derisively named the "Barnes flag". David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . Eric Stirgus: Yeah, I mean, and that's the argument that many of Kemp's team has said. What is it about this job that appeals to him? 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. 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. As governor from 2003 until 2011, he celebrated the states legacy of chattel slaverysigning 2009 legislation making April Confederate History and Heritage Month, honoring the more than 90,000 brave men and women who served the Confederate States of America. He was an early adopter of race-motivated voter suppression, signing into law one of the nations first strict ID laws. GPB is committedto bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia, across the country and around the world. He was sworn in by Supreme Court associate justice and fellow Georgian Clarence Thomas. Eric Stirgus: Yes, I think the governor could certainly use this on the campaign trail and, you know, to, you know, David Perdue supporters and say, "Hey, look, you know, I've made Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the university system. 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. Alec Poitevint, long a pivotal player in the Perdue network, is now backing Kemp over David Perdue. The COVID-19 crisis served as yet another opportunity to promote the political fortunes of his boss, without impeding his pursuit of a pro-agribusiness, anti-worker agenda. Perdue addressed the crowd, saying "We've come together here simply for one reason and one reason only: to very reverently and respectfully pray up a storm" and "God, we need you; we need rain." The former Georgia governor has a background in agriculture. Not that Perdue lacks national stature - he was the governor of Georgia, a heavily agricultural state, from 2003 to 2011. Eric Stirgus: Well, he didn't go into specifics that day. But you know, obviously, you know, there's been a lot of talk recently about issues like critical race theory. "There is one thing we know for sure: Sen. David Perdue will be . 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? [24], In mid-2003, Perdue purchased 101 acres (0.41km2) of land next to his Houston County, Georgia, home. 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. When you go this long without having a permanent chancellor on board, what signal does that send or how does that affect the operations of our schools? Find them all here. Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgias Public Universities, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/us/sonny-perdue-georgia-chancellor.html. [24], On January 18, 2017, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be United States secretary of agriculture. Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. Steve Fennessy: Sonny Perdue is a Republican, so when he uses an expression like Cultural Revolution, what is he referring to? His committee assignments included Ethics, Finance & Public Utilities, Health & Human Services, Reapportionment, and Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Affairs. Critics argued that the deal should be investigated, and speculated that ADM, which spends millions of dollars on lobbying regardless, used the property sale as a bribe for favorable treatment. His Democratic opponent was Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor. The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Who hires the chancellor? [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. Looking at the pandemic, they've also had to take on some additional responsibilities, such as, you know, managing coronavirus relief funds. 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. There are probably about 48,000 employees in the university system, and they range from professors, assistant professors, you know, associate professors, guest lecturers, you know, everything from electricians to people who work in the cafeterias. [46], In December 2004, Perdue bought $2 million worth of land near Disney World from a developer who he had previously appointed to the state's economic development board. Kemp replaced them with two additional members. Governor Pierre Howard asking for more responsibilities, and Howard obliged. I can't imagine Sonny Perdue doing that." In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. [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. 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. Later, FALF Management Trust was created. You know, there was a faction of regents members who were not supportive of him at all. How Trump's Food Box Initiative Overpaid And Underdelivered I ran because I was frustrated with the government. Mr. Perdues appointment as chancellor would also limit his contributions to the campaign of David Perdue, his cousin and a former senator who is running against Gov. Raphael Warnock. Steve Fennessy: So there's a school of thought that Gov. And you know, in saying, you know, this is why we, you know, we are concerned about Sonny Perdue becoming chancellor. White House Seeks To Lower Farmworker Pay To Help Agriculture - NPR Eric Stirgus: No, not officially, you know, because they are personnel decisions that the board makes. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2023 demands. after feeling punished under Trump, "Economists flee Agriculture Dept. [70], Perdue is an avid sportsman. (Washington, D.C., April 25, 2017) - Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by fellow Georgian and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a brief ceremony today at the Supreme Court building. We'll be back next week. 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. Eric Stirgus: His name is Steve Wrigley and he retired. These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in . 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. The watchdogs question whether the sale of AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products was enough to quash all potential conflicts. The new law saved Perdue $100,000 in state taxes. Trump-backed Perdue struggles in Republican primary challenge in - CNN Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do. She said that this is coming from a place of strength and not weakness. And then also, I think, you know, there's been some criticism that he's not the best qualified person for the position. Governor Perdue stood out for his impressive experience and leadership in public service as well as a vast understanding not only of Georgia and its communities but of the issues facing the university system as we move forward, Harold Reynolds, the chair of the Board of Regents, said in a statement on Monday. Not satisfied with fighting to take food off the tables of poor families, Perdue also set his sights on farm workers. This is Georgia Today. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. Earlier this week, Georgia's Board of Regents announced that Sonny Perdue was the sole finalist for the job. [57] Current and former employees of the ERS were strongly critical of the relocation to Kansas City, saying the resulting exodus of scientific and economic talent caused disruption to federal research, especially on climate change and food security. Perdue then decided that the Go Fish Education Center would be built down the road from his home. [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. So you have 14 members who serve each congressional district in Georgia, and then there are five at-large positions. Steve Fennessy: So how do you get a job to be chancellor? [25], In 2007, Perdue convinced a skeptical legislature to approve a $19 million fishing tourism program he called Go Fish Georgia. 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.
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