The Georgia Public Library Service and the Georgia Archives . 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. 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. 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. Eric Stirgus: Well, there's been a few ways. Coronavirus-riddled slaughterhouses, in turn, emerged as primary vectors for spreading the pathogen to surrounding communities. [News tape] FOX5: The Board of Regents has made its choice for the state's next chancellor. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. There's been some social media push against him. And so there are some ways to Sonny Perdue can help the university system of Georgia. David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . 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. AGrowStar (including the assets acquired as part of the Estill deal) was sold by Perdue's trusts in 2018 for 12 million dollars, but due to the secretive nature of the trusts, this was not widely disclosed. Sonny Perdue on Confirmation to Lead Dept. His Democratic opponent was Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. 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. @SecretarySonny (to use his folksy Twitter handle) stayed the course that characterized his entire time at UDSA. "[36], On November 13, 2007, while Georgia suffered from one of the worst droughts in several decades, Perdue led a group of several hundred people in prayer on the steps of the state Capitol. Some farmers ended up destroying perfectly good food. "[45], The project overall has been scrutinized as a waste of taxpayer money due to mismanagement of bond money and extremely low visitors. . While it is often especially difficult for members of a governing board who are appointed by the governor or legislative body to remain independent in their work, it is imperative that they do or they place the accreditation of the institution they govern in jeopardy." Eric Stirgus: I think, you know, his critics have a couple of reasons that they're concerned. The latest scrutiny stems from the agriculture secretary's wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development. [12], In education, Perdue promoted the return of most decision-making to the local level. 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? And then also, I think, you know, there's been some criticism that he's not the best qualified person for the position. Sonny Perdue's . Who hires the chancellor? This week, officials on the Board of Regents announced Perdue is the sole finalist for the top job of chancellor. [18], Perdue was elected as a Democrat in 1991, 1994, and 1996. 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. 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. 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. The other election pits Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. Very few Republican elected officials, operatives, donors and activists in Georgia have. Kemp and Perdue are also close political allies, and Kemp recently replaced four members on the board before the vote. Steve Fennessy: The last full-time permanent chancellor, why did they leave? Mitch Daniels of Indiana has led Purdue University since 2012. So very excited to have the president standing with us and I'm a lot like him. Personal: Perdue. He was the only member of the Trump administration to endorse such a plan. Perdue will not improve the state of education as chancellor - he will only ruin it.. 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? 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. Perdue, a former US senator, has so far raised a fraction of what Kemp has in his campaign war chest. Steve Fennessy: Sonny Perdue is a Republican, so when he uses an expression like Cultural Revolution, what is he referring to? You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. [28] In 2008, Georgia moved up again, to 45th place. He was sworn in by Supreme Court associate justice and fellow Georgian Clarence Thomas. GPB is committedto bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia, across the country and around the world. He was there at the end. Mr. Perdue served two terms as governor from 2003 to 2011, and later became Secretary of Agriculture under President Donald J. Trump. Perdue is one of the original Trump Cabinet appointees who remained by the president throughout the administration. How is that number arrived at? Steve Fennessy: How unusual is it for a letter like that to be written? Now to me, Eric, that sounds like a kind of an implied threat that appointing Sonny Perdue as chancellor could mean that we'd lose accreditation. It's us but for your ears. Eric Stirgus: Correct. Terms of Service apply. 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. 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 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. 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. Sonny Perdue had campaigned on his cousins behalf during David Perdues 2020 re-election campaign, which he narrowly lost to Senator Jon Ossoff. (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. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. 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. 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. The department did not provide further documentation that potential conflicts in 2017 were limited to AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products. Steve Fennessy: The governor appoints the regents on the Board of Regents; there's 19 of them. 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. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. Latest news, headlines, analysis, photos and videos on Sonny Perdue Georgia Today: Is Mayor Bottoms Paying The Political Cost For A COVID Crime Wave? Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses. He's also a fierce advocate for Sonny Perdue to land the chancellor job, saying his experience . The secretarys numerous and labyrinthine financial interests in agribusiness and land development makes it essential that his ethical commitments be rigorously enforced so as not to create a conflict of interest, Austin Evers, the groups executive director, wrote last week in a letter to the IGs office. [58][59], Under Perdue, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was accused of suppressing scientific publications for political reasons. Find them all here. [24], On January 18, 2017, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be United States secretary of agriculture. But you know, obviously, you know, there's been a lot of talk recently about issues like critical race theory. [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. Steve Fennessy: There's something else going on here. But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. 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. Inexpensive, too! Let's go into November and be against Stacey Abrams together.". Perdue led Ossoff in the . There's been a lot of different issues that colleges are facing regarding social issues and political issues. On March 1, 2022, the Board of Regents of University System of Georgia appointed Perdue as the system's 14th chancellor, effective April 1, 2022. He stated that legitimate, measurable carbon trading could spur so-called carbon sequestration by giving farmers an incentive to innovate. 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. Last month, the U.S. State Department said it will start processing more applicants seeking H-2A temporary. He also has largely avoided the sort of major scandals that have dogged many others in Trumps Cabinet. [61][62], In February 2020, Perdue endorsed putting a price on carbon dioxide, a climate change policy favored by many economists. In 2018, while Perdue was secretary, Soque River Conservation asked the Army Corps to modify the credits held by the company in a way that could boost its value by nearly $3 million, the groups estimate. And I understand that he wasn't the biggest supporter of the idea of Sonny Perdue as chancellor. 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 . Later, FALF Management Trust was created. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. In fact, for the next two weeks after the prayer, the state's epic dry streak grew worse. The reallocation entailed raising the companys holdings of highly valuable wetlands credits while lowering its portion of much cheaper stream credits. Although it returned to last place in 2005,[26] Georgia rose to 49th place in 2006 in the combined math and reading mean score, including the writing portion added to the test that year. Then there were the full-on MAGA-bots like Sonny Perdue, the Georgia politician and agribusiness entrepreneur who became agriculture secretary. [News tape] 11Alive: He tweeted, "Brian Kemp is running for governor of the Great State of Georgia. [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. David Perdue is saying, "I'm the big Trump guy here." The income stemmed partly from the sale of conservation credits under a federal wetlands protection program. On April 1, 2022, Perdue took over as the system's 14th chancellor. So tell us, what does the job of chancellor of Georgia universities and colleges entail? The Georgia Department of Natural Resources figures showed 21,101 people visited the Perry facility in fiscal 2015, which ended June 30. 260 14th St. NW Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Senator David Perdue by their grandfather George Ervin Perdue I. Purdue merged the voter-fraud myth with another racist fantasy, also fervently indulged by Trump, that undocumented immigrants burden taxpayers by siphoning welfare benefits. Dr. Sonny Perdue bio. Eric Stirgus: Most of them are designated by congressional district. Students and faculty members around the state are reacting to news that Republican former Gov. [31] The choices were a modified version of the First National Flag of the Confederate States of America, with the Georgia State Seal prominently displayed inside a circle of 13 stars, or the flag created in 2001 by the Roy Barnes administration. [70], Perdue is an avid sportsman. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. This is diversity and inclusion. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer Eric Stirgus: The chancellor is sort of the person who makes sure all the trains run on time, so to speak. 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. But last year,. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. Economists in the USDA's research branch were told to include disclaimers in their peer-reviewed publications stating that the findings were "preliminary" and "should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy". However, Perdue was faced with a Democratic House that would not allow the 1956 flag to be included in the referendum, due to its Confederate origins, and he needed support for a tobacco tax he wanted to pass to raise revenue. Thanks for listening. The Board of Regents named Dr. Sonny Perdue the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia effective April 1, 2022.