(David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). 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. The latest scrutiny stems from the agriculture secretary's wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development. 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 . Steve Fennessy: You mentioned that there's a long political history between Sonny Perdue and Brian Kemp. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. 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. You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. And I understand that he wasn't the biggest supporter of the idea of Sonny Perdue as chancellor. 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. [7] [45], During his governorship, the Georgia State Ethics Commission received thirteen complaints against Perdue. Eric Stirgus: Sonny Perdue, you know, encouraged then-President Trump to endorse Brian Kemp in the Republican primary back in 2018. 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. [40], In 2008, Perdue worked with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to implement Ready Georgia, a campaign to increase disaster preparedness throughout the state. But should it go to a politician? [1][10] He grew up and still lives in Bonaire, an unincorporated area between Perry and Warner Robins. You know, there was a faction of regents members who were not supportive of him at all. [46] The land was eventually sold to developers; however, the state was evaluating bidding on the property and keeping it as a reserve. And so now he's no longer on the regents. After the sale, the huge boiler on the property was sold for approximately $500,000, easily covering the cost of the purchase even if the rest of the land had been valueless. Inexpensive, too! [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. 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. . The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. Steve Fennessy: OK, Sonny Perdue is, I think he's 75. He praised the tax cuts and the program of deregulation, which, he claimed, benefitted the people who needed it most, those in the middle, and the lower rungs. Its little wonder that Trump would train his benevolence on the little people, because hes a blue-collar guy who worked for years in the construction yards, with all kinds of folks, all colors, Kudlow informed Perdues listeners. This is Georgia Today. [46] Perdue failed to disclose his ownership of the property in required financial disclosure forms. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[49] with Bernie Sanders and nine Democrats voting against him. Very few Republican elected officials, operatives, donors and activists in Georgia have. Thanks for listening. 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. 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. 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. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. I mean, you know, there is one former member now, Phillip Lehi, who did, you know, say, Hey, I like Sonny Perdue personally. The office directed the USDA chief to reimburse the government for travel expenses and other costs of the event. This is the golden rule do unto others.". 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. Perdue is a cousin to Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Steve Fennessy: And when Wrigley said he was going to retire, was there kind of a shortlist floated around of possible successors? 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. The administration began acquiring bond money for the Go Fish Education Center near his home in Perry, GA. Steve Fennessy: So there's a school of thought that Gov. Eric Stirgus: Correct. [24] During his governorship, Perdue collected at least $25,000 in gifts, including sporting event tickets and airplane flights. 260 14th St. NW The state's Board of Regents on Wednesday named a veteran finance official as the acting chancellor of Georgia's public university system, stalling former Gov. 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. It's called critical race theory, but other parents and some students said that's not what's going on in the classrooms at all. Not satisfied with fighting to take food off the tables of poor families, Perdue also set his sights on farm workers. Ethics authorities have already issued warnings to a dozen Trump administration officials for violating the Hatch Act, but Perdues straightforward appeal to reelect Trump was seen as especially flagrant. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, a Democrat, later ran the University of California system, and former Gov. In July, with the economic fallout from the pandemic generating a massive hunger crisis, Perdue alighted on North Carolina, a key swing state, to stage a rally promoting congressionally mandated food aid as an example of the personal benevolence of Donald Trump. [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. [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. Eric Stirgus: I think, you know, his critics have a couple of reasons that they're concerned. In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. [News tape] FOX5: The Board of Regents has made its choice for the state's next chancellor. Its another death, wound, stab in the heart for anybody that works in the university system to have someone like this, he said. Steve Fennessy: Chancellor of the University System of Georgia it's one of the most coveted jobs in higher education. A USDA spokesperson denied Perdue was involved and said holding such land doesnt conflict with his duties as secretary. [64][65][66], In June 2021, a news story broke of financial dealings Perdue had after his nomination as Secretary of Agriculture but before his confirmation. 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. 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. Eric Stirgus: And then there's been issues that a lot of Republican lawmakers have been bringing up to in the Georgia Legislature in recent years about campus speech issues that they feel that, you know, students and groups cannot speak freely on college campuses, particularly conservatives. So you've had recently, you know, the Board of Regents members serve seven-year terms. Eric Stirgus: For now, we have not heard any discussion about, you know, where Sonny Perdue will ultimately fall on the governor's race. The credits are meant to offset the environmental impact of land development and they can be bought and sold on the marketplace. Steve Fennessy: Yeah. And you know, in saying, you know, this is why we, you know, we are concerned about Sonny Perdue becoming chancellor. You know, looking at that and he can say that Gov. 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. 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? Steve Fennessy: When you look at past chancellors in the university system of Georgia, is that a position where the person who gets the job is typically coming from a higher educational background? [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]. [33] Georgia voters chose the flag resembling the Confederate flag. I understand that the Board of Regents, at least in its previous iteration, was not necessarily too keen on the idea of Sonny Perdue as the next chancellor, is that correct? His anti-immigrant machinations worked all too well, creating a crippling labor shortage for Georgias immigrant-dependent farms and poultry slaughterhouses. He would not be the first governor to move into academia: Former Gov. Her name is Theresa McCartney, and she worked under Mr. Wrigley. [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: 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. 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. Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgias Public Universities, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/us/sonny-perdue-georgia-chancellor.html. What is that history? Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. 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. But you know, obviously, you know, there's been a lot of talk recently about issues like critical race theory. is buddy alan owens married,