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Perdue's senate hearing quickly done in 2 hours
 

BY Rachel Lane

D.C. Correspondent 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The vacant position of USDA secretary may soon be filled by a former Georgia governor. Nominee George “Sonny” Perdue III smoothly fielded questions posed during a two-hour hearing last Thursday by members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Perdue was raised on a farm and became a veterinarian, never considering a career in politics until he was asked to fill a local position. He went on to become a state senator in Georgia before filling the governor’s position for two terms.

The hearing posed no difficult questions to Perdue, only requests for him to protect farmers and the agriculture industry as a whole. “I will absolutely be an advocate and a fighter, where necessary,” he answered. “Agriculture is in my heart, and I look forward to fighting for the producers of America.”

Senators asked Perdue to promise he would work on immigration reform, to protect agricultural trade and to make changes to support the dairy and cotton industries – two areas where they see the current farm bill falls short. Many of the senators used some of the time available to them to invite Perdue to meet the farmers in their states, and watch football or hunt while he was in the areas.

Perdue used the time between his nomination and before the hearing to meet with all the senators individually. He said he hoped these meetings would earn him not just the senators’ votes but also their trust.

Immigration reform was brought up several times. Twice during the hearing he was asked to support measures that would allow immigrant workers to be granted special permission to work on dairy farms year-round, rather than as seasonal labor.

International trade concerns were raised several times by different members of the committee. Perdue said he would work closely with the USDA trade experts and the U.S. trade negotiators to protect the agriculture industry.

At one point during Perdue’s opening statement, an animal rights protestor interrupted. Perdue was stopped and the protester escorted from the room before the statement resumed. Committee Ranking Member Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) – and its former chair – reported after the meeting she had hoped to question Perdue during the hearing about ethics concerns during his time as governor, but there was not time. She did ask him about the issues when she had her one-on-one meeting with him, and felt he answered her concerns.

Additionally, she plans to raise questions about the ethics concerns for the record. Other senators will provide additional questions for Perdue for the record; he will provide written responses. Once the responses are received and reviewed, the committee will set a date to vote on Perdue’s confirmation.

His position on climate change was not questioned and the closest he came to supporting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, was stating it is important for children to eat. He also said children need to eat in the summer, when school meals aren’t available.

President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would make dramatic cuts to the USDA. When questioned about it, Perdue said he would do what he could to protect the budget, but he hasn’t been involved in the process because he has not been confirmed. He added he was governor of Georgia (2003-11) during the recent recession, when the state had less revenue to spend. The state budget was cut and he managed to fit a $20 billion budget into $16 billion, he added.

Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) noted that opioid and heroin are serious concerns in rural America now.

He asked Perdue to commit to expanding education on the dangers of the drugs and to try programs to stem the drug problem. Perdue said this was one of the topics he discussed thoroughly with former Secretary Tom Vilsack, and he promised to work on the problem.

Donnelly also asked Perdue to focus on growth in rural America, providing opportunities for everyone to earn enough to buy a home, raise a family and retire. “We need to make sure rural communities have broadband so companies there can compete with others around the world,” the senator said.

Perdue responded that broadband will play a key role in growing rural America’s economy and encouraging students to return home after college. Broadband access allows farmers more options and access to technological tools to help production on the farm, too, he said.

Perdue said the 2014 farm bill did a pretty good job providing most farmers with a safety net. He wants to continue to expand and enhance what is already in place. He said the farm bill is not just about farmers; it also provides economic value to everyone from producers to consumers.

3/29/2017