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. Steve Fennessy: What form has that opposition taken on college campuses or in academic circles? And so now he's no longer on the regents. The credits are meant to offset the environmental impact of land development and they can be bought and sold on the marketplace. of Agriculture", "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress 1st Session", "Sonny Perdue Named Chancellor of the University System of Georgia", "Meet David PerdueHe Might Be Georgia's Next Senator", National Governors Association: Sonny Perdue, "Trump taps former Georgia governor for agriculture secretary", "Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue Perdue Farms Plans Major Expansion in Georgia", "Official Results of the November 5, 2002 General Election", "Ethical Lapses Trail Nominee For Agriculture Conflicts of Interest as Governor of Georgia", "3 minutes, 1 tax bill, $100,000 for Sonny Perdue", "Georgia climbs in SAT rankings despite drop in score", "2008 SAT Results Highlight Need for Rigor", "Georgia View: Sonny Perdue's Non-Legacy", "Georgia leaders try to skip controversy in flag vote", "Tom Price, Kasim Reed, Sonny Perdue and the Art of the Georgia Deal", "Statement of Governor Sonny Perdue Regarding Court Ruling to Stay Transition to Reformulated Gasoline", "Georgia Enacts a Tough Law on Immigrants", The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader: The "Great Truth", "Trump could name Agriculture Secretary whose drought strategy was to pray for rain", "Yes, There Were Black Confederates. [News tape] CNN: The former president recruited the former Sen. David Perdue to mount a primary challenge to Gov. The former Georgia governor has a background in agriculture. 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. [47], Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election. (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. 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. That's next. But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. And you know, in saying, you know, this is why we, you know, we are concerned about Sonny Perdue becoming chancellor. Come on board with me. On April 1, 2022, Perdue took over as the system's 14th chancellor. 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. The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. Eric Stirgus: Yeah, I mean, and that's the argument that many of Kemp's team has said. Our engineers are Jesse Nighswonger and Jake Cook. [News tape] WSB: In a statement, Perdue said education funding was affected by twin recessions while he was governor. 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. [24] During his governorship, Perdue collected at least $25,000 in gifts, including sporting event tickets and airplane flights. The FALF Management Trust had no conflicting assets with his duties as Secretary of Agriculture, and therefore the Secretary could become a trustee of the trust. Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has long been President Donald Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters. [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. 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. 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. You know, looking at that and he can say that Gov. So you've had recently, you know, the Board of Regents members serve seven-year terms. Eric Stirgus: Correct. Steve Fennessy: Well, there was also some changes that happened on the board itself, right? [41] The next year, Georgia was affected by the September floods, which were the most severe in Georgia's recorded history. She currently produces the Georgia Today and Battleground: Ballot Box shows. after feeling punished under Trump, "Economists flee Agriculture Dept. 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. Brian Kemp is in a fierce battle with David Perdue. [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. 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. You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. Brian Kemp in Mays Republican primary. So very excited to have the president standing with us and I'm a lot like him. Here to help us make sense of the implications of all this is Eric Stirgis, who covers higher education at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "There is one thing we know for sure: Sen. David Perdue will be . "The. Steve Fennessy: How big is the university system? 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. 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. [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. Earlier this week, Georgia's Board of Regents announced that Sonny Perdue was the sole finalist for the job. Steve Fennessy: So how do you get a job to be chancellor? Eric Stirgus: Yes, Sonny Perdue backed Kemp's state Senate bid in 2002. There, he managed a workforce of 110,000 employees in the U.S. Department of Agriculture with the stated objective of being the most efficient, effective and customer-friendly agency in the . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. This is diversity and inclusion. Steve Fennessy: So there's a school of thought that Gov. 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. Not satisfied with fighting to take food off the tables of poor families, Perdue also set his sights on farm workers. That relationship famously has gone has gone south. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[49] with Bernie Sanders and nine Democrats voting against him. 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. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. 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. I cant imagine Sonny Perdue doing that.. 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. What is it about this job that appeals to him? [67], Regardless of whether the deal was intended to influence Perdue's actions, and if it was if it actually had any impact, the Perdue years were good ones for ADM. [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. The Board of Regents announced that the former Republican governor is its choice to become chancellor. Who hires the chancellor? How did we find out about that? Sonny Perdue, of course, was a two-term governor of Georgia, as well as secretary of agriculture under former President Donald Trump. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. . | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo. Perdues spokesperson also rejected the watchdog groups request for an investigation as politically motivated. The department did not provide further documentation that potential conflicts in 2017 were limited to AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products. I'm joined by Eric Stirgus, who covers higher education for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 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.. Steve Fennessy: It's interesting the the letter was addressed to Sachin Shailendra, who at the time was chair of the Board of Regents, but is one of those members who redistricting kind of pushed out so he's no longer on the Board of Regents. So I think there is some concern out there among some of them. 11/08/2018 02:42 PM EST. The other election pits Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. Steve Fennessy: Well, let's unpack a little bit more this rather awkward political relationship going on. I'm going to read a paragraph towards the end of her letter. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked manyby announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. 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. 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 . [58][59], Under Perdue, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was accused of suppressing scientific publications for political reasons. Like Trump, hes a former Democrat who ascended to political power (in Perdues case, Georgia governor) in a stunning upset. [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. Lance Cheung/USDA; Mother Jones Illustration. [News tape] parent at recent school board meeting, 11Alive: "This isn't critical race theory. 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. His anti-immigrant machinations worked all too well, creating a crippling labor shortage for Georgias immigrant-dependent farms and poultry slaughterhouses. George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III[1] (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021.