what is sonny perdue doing now
You know, Steve Wrigley, you know, he worked in the university system before he became chancellor, so he did have some of that experience. American Oversight and another watchdog group, Accountable.US, claim that violates Perdues 2017 agreement with ethics officials that he would restructure his original family trust and transfer all of its stock in Perdue Business Holdings to a new, irrevocable trust that wouldnt be overseen by or benefit the secretary. [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. The latest scrutiny stems from Perdues wealth of current and former interests in agriculture, trucking and land development a complex web of trusts, land parcels, holding companies and subsidiaries. Steve Fennessy: Well, there was also some changes that happened on the board itself, right? Eric Stirgus: Most of them are designated by congressional district. 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. Through it all, Perdue maintained his extraordinary podcast, The Sonnyside of the Farm, a monthly testament to the genius of his boss and the glory of big agribusiness. (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. He would not be the first governor to move into academia: Former Gov. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. [19] After his first year in office, Senator Perdue wrote then Lt. Sonny Perdue on Confirmation to Lead Dept. [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. Perdue is the first cousin of former U.S. 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. 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. You know, I guess at the time, they sort of came to an impasse and there was a search firm that was hired to help with the process, but pulled out of the process. [63], In August 2020, Perdue supported the president's re-election while promoting the Farmers to Families Food Box Program; Perdue was fined for violating the Hatch Act. Many credit Pierre Howard for helping Perdue build the early foundation of what would become his future political career.[20]. This is Georgia Today. [21] He became the first Republican governor of Georgia in 131 years since Benjamin F. The USDA's press office rejected CNN's request to interview Ziska, but not Politico's, where he went on to describe the department as internally fearful of Perdue's open skepticism towards climate change, which, according to Ziska, has led officials to "go to extremes to obscure their work to avoid political blowback". So without that accreditation, it could severely impact, you know, enrollment. His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017. Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. [34] In a 2014 editorial published by National Review, Perdue criticized attempts by "some on the left or in the mainstream media" to connect climate change to weather events. 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. Eric Stirgus: There are 26 institutions in the system. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? [News tape] FOX5: The Board of Regents has made its choice for the state's next chancellor. [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]. 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. Steve Fennessy: OK, Sonny Perdue is, I think he's 75. "[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. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has long been President Donald Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters. You know, he's a strong conservative, you know, and he's David Perdue's cousin. The credits are meant to offset the environmental impact of land development and they can be bought and sold on the marketplace. I'm joined by Eric Stirgus, who covers higher education for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to the Georgia government's website on Confederate History Month, they also participated in the manufacture of products for the war effort, built naval ships, and provided military assistance and relief efforts"[38] The proclamation was criticized by historians for its historical inaccuracies,[39] although there were, in fact, African-Americans who served the Confederacy. And so now he's no longer on the regents. Looking at the pandemic, they've also had to take on some additional responsibilities, such as, you know, managing coronavirus relief funds. They have to be in charge of making sure that the schools comply with federal education policies and procedures, state education rules and regulations. Former US Secretary of Agriculture and former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue were named chancellor of the University System of Georgia by the Board of Regents today (USG). So those are some of the things that have concerned a lot of state leaders or particularly on the Republican side. Steve Fennessy: Welcome back to Georgia Today. 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: How big is the university system? And you know, for a lot of critics, you know, it did raise their concerns about all of this. The reallocation entailed raising the companys holdings of highly valuable wetlands credits while lowering its portion of much cheaper stream credits. 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. [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. [44], Upon the end of Perdue's term as governor, many in the Georgia General Assembly condemned the project and Perdue after an advisory council (appointed by Perdue) began to funnel additional bond money to the project located in his home county. He also won reelection in 2000. 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. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. Why is there 19? Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. 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. Perdue addressed the crowd, saying "We've come together here simply for one reason and one reason only: to very reverently and respectfully pray up a storm" and "God, we need you; we need rain." [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. 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.. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. Kemp has used congressional redistricting to add more Sonny Perdue supporters to the Board of Regents. Mitch Daniels of Indiana has led Purdue University since 2012. [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. Yes. Kemp replaced them with two additional members. 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. [47], Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, payments on the Go Fish bonds, approved by Perdue and the General Assembly in 2007, runs through December 2027 with most payments $1 million a year in bond money. [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. Eric Stirgus: Yes, definitely. [53] In August 2017, he announced a mentoring program for new farmers. 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. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgias public university system. The watchdogs question whether the sale of AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products was enough to quash all potential conflicts. Launched in October 2019, a week after the House of Representatives announced an impeachment inquiry against Trump, the show began with an appearance from Sarah Huckabee Sanders. After Perdue took office, in 2003 and 2004, Georgia moved up from last place in the country in SAT scores. It's a little off the beaten path. 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. 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". And I understand that he wasn't the biggest supporter of the idea of Sonny Perdue as chancellor. 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). He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[49] with Bernie Sanders and nine Democrats voting against him. Terms of Service apply. We'll be back next week. Come on board with me. [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. The Board of Regents is expected to confirm Perdue's appointment in the next two weeks. [25] Perdue signed the legislation into law on April 12, 2005, three days before tax day. Perdue will begin his duties as the 14th chancellor on April 1, according to a press release from USG. Your support makes this possible. [6] His nomination was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee by a 191 voice vote on March 30. USDA said the reorganization of Perdues finances was cleared by career ethics staff, pointing to the secretarys 2019 financial disclosure that was signed by ethics officials. Why is accreditation important for a university system like Georgia's? 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. "[37], According to a March 5, 2008, proclamation by Perdue, "Among those who served the Confederacy were many African-Americans, both free and slave, who saw action in the Confederate armed forces in many combat roles. Lance Cheung/USDA; Mother Jones Illustration. What Is Sonny Perdue Doing Now? - Vim Buzz So let's go into November with me as your nominee.". The other election pits Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. The policy, according to the American Association of University Professors, is the only one of its kind in the country. The Board of Regents named Dr. Sonny Perdue the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia effective April 1, 2022. These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in . All Rights Reserved. GPB is committedto bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia, across the country and around the world. So very excited to have the president standing with us and I'm a lot like him. Eric Stirgus: You know, he's never spoken publicly about it. 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. 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