But last year,. Sanders: one of the the most fun, engaging, charming, and charismatic people Ive ever been around. Perdue: he has an amazing instinctive ability to make decisions.. The commitments entailed moving his holdings into a new trust and agreeing not to serve as a trustee or beneficiary of the fund. Last month, the U.S. State Department said it will start processing more applicants seeking H-2A temporary. Eric Stirgus: His name is Steve Wrigley and he retired. Steve Fennessy: So that's not something you can just push aside because you don't like what one of their family members is doing. From the year 2017 to 2021, George has served as the 31st United States Secretary Of Agriculture. His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017. So we have Brian Kemp in this fierce battle against David Perdue primary battle for governor. But her critics have said thatwhat she calls a COVID Crime Wave and her handling of the firing of Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, who shot Rayshard Brooks last summer, made her vulnerable if she had chosen to run. [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. June 23, 2021. 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. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. This is Georgia Today. (Washington, D.C., April 28, 2020) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to keep meat and poultry processing facilities open during the COVID-19 national emergency. 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. But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. Am I being naive to think that that that would be the case? You know, there were some complaints that, you know, he was involved in some changes that, you know, made it a little bit more difficult for students to get the HOPE scholarship. Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a regional agency to threaten the accreditation of the 26-school system. 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 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. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. At least he is out of the gate. Republican Sen. David Perdue, a former Fortune 500 CEO, will face off against Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old media executive, again in a runoff election Jan. 5. Sonny Perdue served two terms as the governor of Georgia, from 2003 to 2011. Steve Fennessy: The last full-time permanent chancellor, why did they leave? Anyone can read what you share. [News tape] WSB: As governor, Perdue's record on education is also being called into question. Why is Sonny Perdue is such a polarizing figure? Using the CCC to hand billions to big farmersmajor Trump supporters in 2016 is a signature move of Perdues USDA. [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. You know, it's kind of a fascinating situation that, you know, your cousin is running for governor and at the same time his political opponent could be putting you in charge of one of the most important positions in state government. 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. He's also a fierce advocate for Sonny Perdue to land the chancellor job, saying his experience . "[45], The project overall has been scrutinized as a waste of taxpayer money due to mismanagement of bond money and extremely low visitors. 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. 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. Eric Stirgus: Most of them are designated by congressional district. Perdue is a cousin to Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. You know, we reported as soon as we got the copy of the letter. [42] The floods resulted in Perdue declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties. Eric Stirgus: Yes. It pays pretty well. 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. 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. Brian Kemp thinks so, and it looks like he's getting his way. Perdue and the department have argued that the move will lower living costs, save . Eric Stirgus: Well, there's been a few ways. 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. That relationship famously has gone has gone south. Steve Fennessy: Well, let's unpack a little bit more this rather awkward political relationship going on. Eric Stirgus: Yes, Sonny Perdue backed Kemp's state Senate bid in 2002. 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. Why isn't he going back to his farm? Kemp and Perdue are also close political allies, and Kemp recently replaced four members on the board before the vote. The income stemmed partly from the sale of conservation credits under a federal wetlands protection program. GPB is committedto bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia, across the country and around the world. Eric Stirgus: You know, it's a pretty important job in the state of Georgia. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources figures showed 21,101 people visited the Perry facility in fiscal 2015, which ended June 30. Is Sonny Perdue staking out any does he have a dog in this fight, at least publicly? Perdue will begin his duties as the 14th chancellor on April 1, according to a press release from USG. Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. You know, looking at that and he can say that Gov. 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. The former two-term Georgia governor has kept his cabinet post until the end, maintaining a close relationship with . 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. [18], Perdue was elected as a Democrat in 1991, 1994, and 1996. Kemp is sort of paying back a favor. Unquote. RELATED: Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. [53] In August 2017, he announced a mentoring program for new farmers. 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. The board cited Perdue's, quote, "vast understanding of the issues facing the university system," unquote. 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. But Sonny Perdue was there from the beginning. It generated $102,077 in revenue or about 11 cents for every dollar it cost to run the center in years past. Sonny Perdue had campaigned on his cousins behalf during David Perdues 2020 re-election campaign, which he narrowly lost to Senator Jon Ossoff. 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. [24] During his governorship, Perdue collected at least $25,000 in gifts, including sporting event tickets and airplane flights. Eric Stirgus: Last March, we started hearing talk you know that Perdue was interested in the job or that some board members on the Board of Regents were interested in him becoming chancellor. Is that right? Perdue claimed a combined $511,800 in income from Perdue Inc., a trucking company; Houston Fertilizer & Grain Co., which manages commercial real estate in Bonaire, Ga.; and StarPort Logistics LLC. [19] After his first year in office, Senator Perdue wrote then Lt. Brian Kemp and thought Trump thought his endorsement would spell immediate trouble for the incumbent. 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. In December 2001, Perdue resigned as state senator and devoted himself entirely to running for the office of Governor of Georgia. [52], During his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue focused on helping new farmers get started in agriculture. 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. Perdue made his acting debut in "We Are Marshall," a 2006 film about the 1970 plane crash that claimed the lives of 75 Marshall University football players, coaches, supporters and staff.. His Democratic opponent was Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor. Eric Stirgus: Correct. He switched party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1998 and was re-elected to the State Senate as a Republican. These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in . Our engineers are Jesse Nighswonger and Jake Cook. Here to help us make sense of the implications of all this is Eric Stirgis, who covers higher education at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Perdue, a former US senator, has so far raised a fraction of what Kemp has in his campaign war chest. His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017. (David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). Caught in the middle of a Republican overhaul of education, teachers feel under attack, Senate bill cracks down on local school boards' ability to eject disruptive parents from meetings. 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. Perdues response? [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. Along with the recent Hatch Act violation, Perdue is facing blowback from Democrats and food banks for requiring all contractors under a $4 billion coronavirus relief program to stuff promotional letters signed by Trump into millions of food boxes delivered to hungry families. So without that accreditation, it could severely impact, you know, enrollment. We'll be back next week. Like Trump, he's a former Democratwho ascended to political power (in Perdue's case, Georgia. [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. [News tape] parent at recent school board meeting, 11Alive: "This isn't critical race theory. 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. As governor, Perdue mastered the Trumpian strategy of using know-nothing bigotry as a beard for brazen self-dealing, sometimes involving his own family. He was the only member of the Trump administration to endorse such a plan. USDAs unprecedented farm subsidies have also fueled criticism that taxpayer dollars are being used to keep farmers and ranchers in Trumps corner ahead of the election especially as the president repeatedly touts the money at campaign rallies as his own personal gift to agriculture. 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. Georgia Today: Is Mayor Bottoms Paying The Political Cost For A COVID Crime Wave? [9], Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. Therefore the new trust Perdue listed on his 2019 financial disclosure, identifying himself as a co-trustee, poses no conflict of interest or violation of his ethics commitments, the spokesperson said. It is no surprise that these made up accusations are coming out in the final weeks of October. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[49] with Bernie Sanders and nine Democrats voting against him. The new law saved Perdue $100,000 in state taxes. Steve Fennessy: There's something else going on here. The harangue, which ended with the ag secretary leading a chant of four more years, earned Perdue a knuckle-rap from the Office of Special Counsel for violating the Hatch Act, which forbids government employees from campaigning while on the job. 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. He served two terms,. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. Sonny Perdue, aka George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, is known to be a veterinarian, businessman, and politician of the United States of America. 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? 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. And you know, for a lot of critics, you know, it did raise their concerns about all of this. 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. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) abstained, as they are first cousins. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. Eric Stirgus: Sonny Perdue, you know, encouraged then-President Trump to endorse Brian Kemp in the Republican primary back in 2018. 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. 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. [News tape] WSB: Gov. [68] They have four children (Leigh, Lara, Jim, and Dan),[68] 14 grandchildren (six boys and eight girls), and have also been foster parents for many children. (Washington, D.C., April 22, 2020) - Today, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced emergency benefit increases have reached $2.0 billion per month for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households across all 50 states and 3 territories to increase food security during the coronavirus national emergency. [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. 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. 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. Steve Fennessy: But in the state of Georgia, I would think that, at least of jobs that are sort of in the employ of the state of Georgia, there are few that are more prominent or important than chancellor. [32] Perdue disappointed some Georgians by not making the 1956 flag one of the choices on the ballot, despite a campaign promise to do so. "The. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. He was sworn in by Supreme Court associate justice and fellow Georgian Clarence Thomas. I mean, you know, there is one former member now, Phillip Lehi, who did, you know, say, Hey, I like Sonny Perdue personally. 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. So you've had recently, you know, the Board of Regents members serve seven-year terms. [24], In mid-2003, Perdue purchased 101 acres (0.41km2) of land next to his Houston County, Georgia, home. @SecretarySonny (to use his folksy Twitter handle) stayed the course that characterized his entire time at UDSA. Steve Fennessy: Well, there was also some changes that happened on the board itself, right? On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. It's us but for your ears. Steve Fennessy: By definition, you're appointed as a regent by the sitting governor, but appointing and hiring a chancellor is supposedly, at least theoretically, not supposed to be political, right? We've been hearing that Gov. The design of the 2001 Georgian flag was widely unpopular, being derisively named the "Barnes flag". He won his first term in 2014 by fewer than 8 percentage points. Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a. [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. 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. All Rights Reserved. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses. Eric Stirgus: Yes. 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. And you know, I think there have been a couple of state lawmakers who have publicly come out against the idea. 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. 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. 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. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. [6] His nomination was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee by a 191 voice vote on March 30. You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. The administration began acquiring bond money for the Go Fish Education Center near his home in Perry, GA. Steve Fennessy: News that Sonny Perdue will, in all likelihood be the university system of Georgia's next chancellor comes at a time when state legislators are debating bills about how racial history should be taught in classrooms. Eric Stirgus: I think, you know, there's just some uncertainty among many faculty members about, you know, who will eventually serve in the position and you know what role they may take on, you know, on this, you know, systems operations. 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. Brian Kemp: Obviously, this is huge for our campaign. Terms of Service apply. Quite honestly, I've been in the private sector for 30 years. The latest scrutiny stems from the agriculture secretary's wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development. The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. 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. He shortly thereafter became a committee chairman, then climbed the leadership ladder to majority leader and to Senate president pro tempore. The credits are meant to offset the environmental impact of land development and they can be bought and sold on the marketplace. 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. Georgias public university system said on Tuesday that former Gov. He also talked about, you know, bringing stability to the system. [41] The next year, Georgia was affected by the September floods, which were the most severe in Georgia's recorded history. 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? Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked manyby announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. We noticed you have an ad blocker on. And then also, you know, maybe among some who might be interested in working for the university system. So we have not had a chancellor at least, a non-interim chancellor for at least seven or eight months, right? 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. 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 . That's next. Earlier this week, Georgia's Board of Regents announced that Sonny Perdue was the sole finalist for the job. Perdue is one of the original Trump Cabinet appointees who remained by the president throughout the administration. How did we find out about that? Sonny Perdue on Confirmation to Lead Dept. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, a Democrat, later ran the University of California system, and former Gov. [23] Prior to Perdue's becoming governor, no state agency had compiled an inventory of what assets were owned by the state. Perdue announced the final relocation site in a letter that was distributed to employees Thursday morning. Sonny Perdue, of course, was a two-term governor of Georgia, as well as secretary of agriculture under former President Donald Trump. 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. What is that history? [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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Steve Fennessy: How big is the university system? I ran because I was frustrated with the government. 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. But then prior to him, you had Errol Davis, who was a utilities company executive and he had no administrative experience in higher education. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgias public university system. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. Who hires the chancellor? 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. Steve Fennessy: So how do you get a job to be chancellor? A department spokesperson claims the 2017 agreement had to refer to the holding company at large, rather than those two firms in particular, because it was the legal entity that owned the businesses. Gov. Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.