The regents hired another firm, and then it put Ms. McCartney as acting chancellor, and so there really hasn't been much movement up until, I guess, the last few weeks. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. 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. I'm Steve Fennessy. From the year 2017 to 2021, George has served as the 31st United States Secretary Of Agriculture. David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . His name is Sonny Perdue. 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. [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]. The complex arrangements were criticized as breaking the spirit of the rule, however, and that Perdue and his family's ties to his corporation were not distanced as much as the law intended. 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 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. "[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. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. Kemp and Perdue are also close political allies, and Kemp recently replaced four members on the board before the vote. Gov. 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. Eric Stirgus: Yeah, I mean, and that's the argument that many of Kemp's team has said. 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. 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. RELATED: Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. Brian Kemp: Obviously, this is huge for our campaign. It is simply unacceptable for people to sneak into this country illegally on Thursday, obtain a government-issued ID on Friday, head for the welfare office on Monday, and cast a vote on Tuesday, he declared, backing up his rancid lies with a crackdown on undocumented people. Eric Stirgus: There are 26 institutions in the system. Eric Stirgus: I think you would have many people who would say that it is a political decision or that the board members themselves have, you know, some say depending on their own personal politics. Personal: Perdue. [News tape] parent at recent school board meeting, 11Alive: "This isn't critical race theory. Saeger, of Accountable.US, said the inspector general still needs to review that claim. 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. [7] [25], In 2007, Perdue convinced a skeptical legislature to approve a $19 million fishing tourism program he called Go Fish Georgia. On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. He enjoys flying and, in a 2003 incident, was accused of flying a state helicopter without a license. Charles S. Bullock, III, The Georgia Political Almanac, The General Assembly 199394. 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. The reallocation entailed raising the companys holdings of highly valuable wetlands credits while lowering its portion of much cheaper stream credits. [11], Perdue played quarterback at Warner Robins High School and was a walk-on at the University of Georgia,[12] where he was also a member of the Beta-Lambda chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity. [71], In 2006, while still governor, Perdue made a cameo appearance as the coach of the East Carolina Pirates football team in the movie We Are Marshall, large portions of which were filmed in Georgia. 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] WSB: After what the board's chairman described as a nationwide search with, quote, "numerous highly qualified candidates," in the end, the board voted to pick Perdue as the sole finalist for the job. It is no surprise that these made up accusations are coming out in the final weeks of October. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. Eric Stirgus: Sonny Perdue, you know, encouraged then-President Trump to endorse Brian Kemp in the Republican primary back in 2018. A USDA spokesperson denied Perdue was involved and said holding such land doesnt conflict with his duties as secretary. The . Kemp continues to be grateful for that support, and he feels some, you know, some loyalty, from what we've been hearing from our sources towards Sonny Perdue. Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgias Public Universities, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/us/sonny-perdue-georgia-chancellor.html. In fact, for the next two weeks after the prayer, the state's epic dry streak grew worse. Steve Fennessy: How unusual is it for a letter like that to be written? David Perdue is saying, "I'm the big Trump guy here." 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. And then a couple of months later, my colleague Greg Bluestein ran into him at an event and Sonny did say that he was interested in the position, if the regents would have him. I'm joined by Eric Stirgus, who covers higher education for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [45], During his governorship, the Georgia State Ethics Commission received thirteen complaints against Perdue. Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. 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 . [News tape] WSB: As governor, Perdue's record on education is also being called into question. Born George Ervin Perdue III, Perdue has been known as Sonny since childhood, and prefers to be called by that name; he was sworn in and signs official documents as "Sonny Perdue". 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. Eric Stirgus: Well, there's been a few ways. 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. And then also, I think, you know, there's been some criticism that he's not the best qualified person for the position. Other issues addressed by Perdue include assisting rural communities, helping farmers operate with less regulation, increasing exports, passing the 2018 farm bill, and addressing crop damage caused by dicamba. One is there was a group of students who created a group called Students against Sonny. Very few Republican elected officials, operatives, donors and activists in Georgia have. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. 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. [News tape] parent at recent school board meeting, 11Alive: "I don't know how or why this would be debated.". [46] After the state dropped out of the bidding and the land was sold to developers, the value of Perdue's property more than doubled. Steve Fennessy: So he left in June. Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. Steve Fennessy: What did you think when you first heard about that? Although it returned to last place in 2005,[26] Georgia rose to 49th place in 2006 in the combined math and reading mean score, including the writing portion added to the test that year. Perdue, a former US senator, has so far raised a fraction of what Kemp has in his campaign war chest. The business holdings were a source of concern during his confirmation process, as well as during his time as Georgia governor from 2003-11, when he faced more than a dozen ethics complaints and was found to have funneled illegal amounts of money from his businesses to his campaign in 2002. You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. This week on Georgia Today, we look at some issues Bottoms faced during her tenure as mayor with CNN national correspondentRyan Young. [18], Perdue was elected as a Democrat in 1991, 1994, and 1996. 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." Perdue wrote that "liberals have lost all credibility when it comes to climate science because their arguments have become so ridiculous and so obviously disconnected from reality. [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. According to the Georgia government's website on Confederate History Month, they also participated in the manufacture of products for the war effort, built naval ships, and provided military assistance and relief efforts"[38] The proclamation was criticized by historians for its historical inaccuracies,[39] although there were, in fact, African-Americans who served the Confederacy. But then prior to him, you had Errol Davis, who was a utilities company executive and he had no administrative experience in higher education. Why isn't he going back to his farm? One is looking at his record, as you know, the governor of Georgia. A Big Ag corporation sold it to Sonny Perdue's company for $250,000", "Agriculture secretary pick Perdue led big political change in Georgia", "Official: Perdue flew copter without license", "Governor Perdue Makes Acting Debut in "We Are Marshall", Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Perdue&oldid=1142223043, Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators, Republican Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators, Presidents pro tempore of the Georgia State Senate, Republican Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state), Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 05:05. He later served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and was named chancellor of the University System of Georgia in 2022.. Background and Education Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. There were so many cabinet members who who left, and then he had to appoint new ones. Why is Sonny Perdue is such a polarizing figure? But last year,. They have to be in charge of making sure that the schools comply with federal education policies and procedures, state education rules and regulations. While Perdue puffed up the generosity of his boss, the USDA was busy botching the food-relief effort, awarding fat contracts to distributors ill-equipped to handle them, with the result that some parts of the country got a lot of food, while others got very little, NPR reported. Once again, left-leaning organizations like American Oversight will do anything they can to stop this administration from helping the American people, the spokesperson said. Jess Mador is the lead podcast producer at GPB News. 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. Perdue announced the final relocation site in a letter that was distributed to employees Thursday morning. Has he said, "I'm supporting the guy who's pushing my candidacy for chancellor" or "I'm supporting my cousin who's running against him"? This is diversity and inclusion. Governor Pierre Howard asking for more responsibilities, and Howard obliged. It's us but for your ears. The watchdog groups are now seeking information about whether Perdue was involved in a decision by the Army Corps of Engineers which works with USDA on some wetlands restoration efforts to reallocate Soque River Conservations credits in a way that significantly increased their value. 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. Perdue served in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of captain before his discharge. [53] In August 2017, he announced a mentoring program for new farmers. She says a lot of things. Here's Why", "USGS Release: Atlanta Flooding Sets New Records", "Gov. [News tape] WSB: He called being named a finalist a quote wonderful capstone to a career in public service. Sonny Perdue won the 2002 Georgia governor's race, defeating the incumbent, Democrat Roy Barnes, to become the state's first Republican governor since Reconstruction. Steve Fennessy: And when Wrigley said he was going to retire, was there kind of a shortlist floated around of possible successors? Steve Fennessy: So there's a school of thought that Gov. [40], In 2008, Perdue worked with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to implement Ready Georgia, a campaign to increase disaster preparedness throughout the state. 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. Am I being naive to think that that that would be the case? The Georgia Department of Natural Resources figures showed 21,101 people visited the Perry facility in fiscal 2015, which ended June 30. I cant imagine Sonny Perdue doing that.. He also won reelection in 2000. As governor, Perdue mastered the Trumpian strategy of using know-nothing bigotry as a beard for brazen self-dealing, sometimes involving his own family. 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. Brian Kemp thinks so, and it looks like he's getting his way. The secretarys office contends he has complied with the agreement. Find them all here. [67], Perdue and his wife, Mary (ne Ruff), were married in 1972 after dating for four years. [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. I think Steve really was making maybe about a half million dollars when he retired, so that's way more than the governor of Georgia was making. They range from Georgia State University, which has the most students in the system, like about 53,000 students; Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State both of those schools have about 40,000 students each and then University of Georgia. Kemp replaced them with two additional members. In December 2001, Perdue resigned as state senator and devoted himself entirely to running for the office of Governor of Georgia. So let's go into November with me as your nominee.". His committee assignments included Ethics, Finance & Public Utilities, Health & Human Services, Reapportionment, and Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Affairs. In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. An investigationby the Food and Environment Reporting Networks Leah Douglas found that at least 40 percent of chicken plants operating at the higher speeds experienced COVID outbreaks, versus 14 percent for the overall meat sector. You know, Steve Wrigley, you know, he worked in the university system before he became chancellor, so he did have some of that experience. The design of the 2001 Georgian flag was widely unpopular, being derisively named the "Barnes flag". The Georgia Public Library Service and the Georgia Archives . Steve Fennessy: How big is the university system? [43], Beginning in 2007, Governor Perdue began to pursue the goal of making Georgia the "bass-fishing tourism mecca". Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Perdue will begin his duties as the 14th chancellor on April 1, according to a press release from USG. [25] Perdue signed the legislation into law on April 12, 2005, three days before tax day. "There is one thing we know for sure: Sen. David Perdue will be . 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? He had even served as the 81st Governor of Georgia, and his tenure was from 2003 to 2011. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) abstained, as they are first cousins. [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. But Perdue is struggling. It pays pretty well. "The. I ran because I was frustrated with the government. Secretary Perdue complied with his ethics agreement and followed the advice of ethics officers at USDA when he restructured the Perdue Family Revocable Management Trust into a new family management trust, in which the secretary and his wife had no ownership interest and were not trustees, the spokesperson said in a statement. And then also, you know, maybe among some who might be interested in working for the university system. I'm going to read a paragraph towards the end of her letter. Why is there 19? And you know, for a lot of critics, you know, it did raise their concerns about all of this. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. What's the implication there? Conley. In April, before the Board of Regents selected Mr. Perdue, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges sent it a warning letter stating that the appointment of a former governor could place the accreditation of the institution(s) they govern in jeopardy.. 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. [6] His nomination was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee by a 191 voice vote on March 30. Gov. His anti-immigrant machinations worked all too well, creating a crippling labor shortage for Georgias immigrant-dependent farms and poultry slaughterhouses. The Board of Regents is expected to confirm Perdue's appointment in the next two weeks. Brian Kemp in Mays Republican primary. [52], During his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue focused on helping new farmers get started in agriculture. Secretary Perdue was just chastised for his abuse of tax dollars for political purposes by ethics authorities, so we cannot take these claims at face value, he said. He continued his effort to cut their wages, ultimately teaming with the Department of Labor on a rule change that will result in an aggregate wage cut worth at least $170.68 million annually over the next ten yearsa transfer of money from low-wage workers to relatively wealthy farm owners. Eric Stirgus: Correct. "You have got to have stuff where there is a lot of traffic. Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, was confirmed April 24, 2017, and he will have a wide reach in his role.
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