Quite honestly, I've been in the private sector for 30 years. Is that right? He referenced the pandemic and the phrase "Cultural Revolution." [54] In December 2018, he changed the nutrition standards for school lunches to allow more refined grains, allow milk with added sugar, and increased sodium. The Board of Regents named Dr. Sonny Perdue the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia effective April 1, 2022. 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. [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. Steve Fennessy: Yeah. Eric Stirgus: Yes. 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. This is the golden rule do unto others.". [News tape] 11Alive: He tweeted, "Brian Kemp is running for governor of the Great State of Georgia. Like Trump, he's a former Democratwho ascended to political power (in Perdue's case, Georgia. [8] Perdue served as Secretary of Agriculture throughout Trump's term. Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. Eric Stirgus: Georgia's top elected officials constantly talk about, you know, we need workers who are college and career ready, people who can just step into jobs. [46] The land was adjacent to the 20,000 acres (81km2) Oaky Woods preserve being sold by Weyerhaeuser. And you know, in saying, you know, this is why we, you know, we are concerned about Sonny Perdue becoming chancellor. [67], Perdue and his wife, Mary (ne Ruff), were married in 1972 after dating for four years. Feb. 15, 2022 Georgia's public university system said on Tuesday that former Gov. 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. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses. In December 2001, Perdue resigned as state senator and devoted himself entirely to running for the office of Governor of Georgia. Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a. 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. He won his first term in 2014 by fewer than 8 percentage points. Subsequently, the trust sold off AGrowStar LLC and Pro Ag Products LLC (none of the other assets posed any conflict of interest with his duties as Secretary of Agriculture). 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 . [News tape] parent at recent school board meeting, 11Alive: "I don't know how or why this would be debated.". The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? The first two companies are managed by Perdues children, according to Georgia records. All Rights Reserved. The commitments entailed moving his holdings into a new trust and agreeing not to serve as a trustee or beneficiary of the fund. The latest scrutiny stems from the agriculture secretary's wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development. 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. Mr. Perdues appointment as chancellor would also limit his contributions to the campaign of David Perdue, his cousin and a former senator who is running against Gov. Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. [47], Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election. [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. But Sonny Perdue was there from the beginning. Dr. Sonny Perdue bio. after feeling punished under Trump, "Economists flee Agriculture Dept. (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. Unquote. 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. (David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). I ran because I was frustrated with the government. [7] But should it go to a politician? The credits are meant to offset the environmental impact of land development and they can be bought and sold on the marketplace. [41] The next year, Georgia was affected by the September floods, which were the most severe in Georgia's recorded history. So very excited to have the president standing with us and I'm a lot like him. Steve Fennessy: How unusual is it for a letter like that to be written? [56] The attrition rate was particularly high in the Resource and Rural Economics Division (90%) and in the Food Economics Division (up to 89%). Perdue and the department have argued that the move will lower living costs, save . Sonny Perdue's . He's also a fierce advocate for Sonny Perdue to land the chancellor job, saying his experience . [News tape] WSB: Gov. Come on board with me. [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. 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. publicly condemned how the university system selected Mr. Perdue, will be the first woman to head the institution, a large-scale, low-cost online Master of Science degree program. How is that number arrived at? [News tape] Alex Ames, student activist, FOX5: And as governor, he chose to defund billions of dollars and begin, you know, a decades-long spree of defunding from our teachers and, you know, students and parent schools that we attend every day. [News tape] 11Alive: Critical race theory about whites, blacks and U.S. history, parents saying that CRT is now indoctrinating students disguised in the school system's initiatives on diversity, equity and inclusion. If a college loses accreditation, warned the agencys president, Belle S. Wheelan, it could cause enrollment declines, lead to bad publicity and revoke the schools access to federal money. 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. So let's go into November with me as your nominee.". Eric Stirgus: Sonny Perdue, you know, encouraged then-President Trump to endorse Brian Kemp in the Republican primary back in 2018. Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, First National Flag of the Confederate States of America, North American Vexillological Association, United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, List of American politicians who switched parties in office, "Former Georgia governor tapped as Trump's agriculture secretary, sources say", "Company Overview of Perdue Partners, LLC", "BPC Congratulates Sec. So those are some of the things that have concerned a lot of state leaders or particularly on the Republican side. Am I being naive to think that that that would be the case? United States, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. Georgia Today: Is Mayor Bottoms Paying The Political Cost For A COVID Crime Wave? [News tape] WSB: He called being named a finalist a quote wonderful capstone to a career in public service. In fact, for the next two weeks after the prayer, the state's epic dry streak grew worse. Steve Fennessy: Sonny Perdue is a Republican, so when he uses an expression like Cultural Revolution, what is he referring to? The former two-term Georgia governor has kept his cabinet post until the end, maintaining a close relationship with . In 2010, at the tail end of his second term as governor, Perdue named his cousin, David Perduewho had just stepped down as chief executive of Dollar General discount storesto the board of the Georgia Ports Authority. USDA argues that the reorganization Perdue laid out in his 2017 ethics agreement was intended to separate the secretary from two agribusinesses in particular: grain merchandiser AGrowStar LLC and grain marketer Pro Ag Products, both of which were also owned by Perdue Business Holdings before they were sold to outside buyers. What is it about this job that appeals to him? I cant imagine Sonny Perdue doing that.. Mr. Perdue, a graduate of the University of Georgia, said he considered the opportunity to lead the university system, which has more than 340,000 students, as the capstone to a career of public service. He was the first Republican chosen by Georgians to occupy the governor's mansion since the Reconstruction-era election of Rufus Bullock in 1868. Perdue announced the final relocation site in a letter that was distributed to employees Thursday morning. You know, we reported as soon as we got the copy of the letter. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo. Steve Fennessy: OK, Sonny Perdue is, I think he's 75. Brian Kemp thinks so, and it looks like he's getting his way. 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. But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. June 23, 2021. I'm joined by Eric Stirgus, who covers higher education for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sonny Perdue has long mixed personal and political business to benefit his friends and business associates and he's on track to do it again. There's been some social media push against him. The staff of Mother Jones is highlighting the years heroes and monsters. I give him my full and total endorsement.". 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. [61][62], In February 2020, Perdue endorsed putting a price on carbon dioxide, a climate change policy favored by many economists. But Perdue is struggling. 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. Sonny Perdue served two terms as governor of Georgia before being named Agriculture Secretary in the Trump administration. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources figures showed 21,101 people visited the Perry facility in fiscal 2015, which ended June 30. Perdue has long been Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters, visiting all 50 states to spread the presidents message and spearheading massive taxpayer aid programs that kept farmers afloat through Trumps trade war and the pandemic. I'm going to read a paragraph towards the end of her letter. [News tape] FOX5: The Board of Regents has made its choice for the state's next chancellor. The board cited Perdue's, quote, "vast understanding of the issues facing the university system," unquote. Some farmers ended up destroying perfectly good food. These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in . Eric Stirgus: There are 26 institutions in the system. 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. 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. [24] During his governorship, Perdue collected at least $25,000 in gifts, including sporting event tickets and airplane flights. . Is Sonny Perdue staking out any does he have a dog in this fight, at least publicly? Raphael Warnock. 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: Yeah, I mean, and that's the argument that many of Kemp's team has said. When you go this long without having a permanent chancellor on board, what signal does that send or how does that affect the operations of our schools? 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? She said that this is coming from a place of strength and not weakness. 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. Perdue is poised within . Perdue then decided that the Go Fish Education Center would be built down the road from his home. Steve Fennessy: Politics makes strange bedfellows. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. The board cited Perdue's, quote, "vast understanding of the issues facing the university system," unquote. 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. 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.. (Washington, D.C., April 25, 2017) - Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by fellow Georgian and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a brief ceremony today at the Supreme Court building. The terms of two of those members expired at the beginning of January, and Gov. [19] After his first year in office, Senator Perdue wrote then Lt. The department did not provide further documentation that potential conflicts in 2017 were limited to AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products. Listen on Apple Podcasts. 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. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. 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. So we have not had a chancellor at least, a non-interim chancellor for at least seven or eight months, right? We'll be back next week. Eric Stirgus: Good question. So tell us, what does the job of chancellor of Georgia universities and colleges entail? 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. Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. Similarly, while the pandemic savaged meatpacking workers, killing at least 563 as of mid-December, the ag department kept on with a trend it had started in 2019: allowing giant poultry companies to speed up their slaughterhouse kill lines. Perdue is a cousin to Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. He stated that legitimate, measurable carbon trading could spur so-called carbon sequestration by giving farmers an incentive to innovate. [46] The land was eventually sold to developers; however, the state was evaluating bidding on the property and keeping it as a reserve. Eric Stirgus: You know, it's a pretty important job in the state of Georgia. The policy, according to the American Association of University Professors, is the only one of its kind in the country. 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. Looking at the pandemic, they've also had to take on some additional responsibilities, such as, you know, managing coronavirus relief funds. [50], In September 2017, Politico reported that, according to 42 reviewed resumes, the department hired 22 former Trump campaign workers, many of which had no significant agricultural knowledge or experience with federal policies. She currently produces the Georgia Today and Battleground: Ballot Box shows. 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. 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. Here to help us make sense of the implications of all this is Eric Stirgis, who covers higher education at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He later served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and was named chancellor of the University System of Georgia in 2022.. Background and Education On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. He shortly thereafter became a committee chairman, then climbed the leadership ladder to majority leader and to Senate president pro tempore. Atlanta, GA 30318 There may be that short list that some of these members of the Board of Regents have, but they're not allowed to discuss it publicly. This is Georgia Today. And I'm curious about why it's elicited such a ferocious response on the side of those who are for the idea, but also those who are against it. I can't imagine Sonny Perdue doing that." Sonny Perdue, of course, was a two-term governor of Georgia, as well as secretary of agriculture under former President Donald Trump. 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. Latest news, headlines, analysis, photos and videos on Sonny Perdue So you have 14 members who serve each congressional district in Georgia, and then there are five at-large positions. Georgia Public Radio GPTV, Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. 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. Kudlow used the opportunity to fluff Trumps economic record. 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"? [51], Perdue was the designated survivor on January 30, 2018, for President Trump's first State of the Union address. Coronavirus-riddled slaughterhouses, in turn, emerged as primary vectors for spreading the pathogen to surrounding communities. Why is Sonny Perdue is such a polarizing figure? Thanks for listening. The sole vote against him came from Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. Then there were the full-on MAGA-bots like Sonny Perdue, the Georgia politician and agribusiness entrepreneur who became agriculture secretary. Steve Fennessy: And when Wrigley said he was going to retire, was there kind of a shortlist floated around of possible successors? [23], In January 2003, Perdue signed an executive order prohibiting himself and all other state employees from receiving any gift worth more than $25. [67], Perdue's assets during his time as Secretary were placed in blind trusts, as is common to prevent financial conflicts of interest. In 2005, Georgia state Rep. Larry ONealPerdues personal lawyermanaged to pass what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called a seemingly mundane tax bill thatincluded a a last-minute change that saved the governor an estimated $100,000 in state taxes. He served as his party's leader in the Senate from 1994 to 1997 and as president pro tempore. Alec Poitevint, long a pivotal player in the Perdue network, is now backing Kemp over David Perdue. Later, FALF Management Trust was created. Personal: Perdue. Steve Fennessy: The last full-time permanent chancellor, why did they leave? [14] He defeated Republican candidate Ned Sanders in 1990 and succeeded Democratic incumbent Ed Barker as the senator representing the 18th district. This week on Georgia Today, we look at some issues Bottoms faced during her tenure as mayor with CNN national correspondentRyan Young. Perdue will not improve the state of education as chancellor - he will only ruin it.. At least he is out of the gate. Mitch Daniels of Indiana has led Purdue University since 2012. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who like Grassley is up for reelection in 2022, said he hasn't "paid a lot of attention" to Georgia's governor race, saying "we got our hands full . Citing export losses from Trumps trade war with China, the USDA lavished mainly huge soybean, hog, and cotton farmers with $28 billion in 2018 and 2019more than double the price tag of President Barack Obamas 2009 auto bailout. A USDA spokesperson denied Perdue was involved and said holding such land doesnt conflict with his duties as secretary. Eric Stirgus: For now, we have not heard any discussion about, you know, where Sonny Perdue will ultimately fall on the governor's race. 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. Steve Fennessy: Eric, you've covered higher education in Georgia for a lot of years.