"[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. Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes was also on the ballot. Steve Fennessy: Eric, you've covered higher education in Georgia for a lot of years. "The most important activity in which any governing board will be involved in is the selection of the CEO. [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. Eric Stirgus: No, not officially, you know, because they are personnel decisions that the board makes. He shortly thereafter became a committee chairman, then climbed the leadership ladder to majority leader and to Senate president pro tempore. 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. In April, before the Board of Regents selected Mr. Perdue, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges sent it a warning letter stating that the appointment of a former governor could place the accreditation of the institution(s) they govern in jeopardy.. 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". Eric Stirgus: During his time as agriculture secretary there was, you know, there's been some criticism about his record, you know, concerning issues such as climate change. 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. Is that right? Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a regional agency to threaten the accreditation of the 26-school system. Conley. Eric Stirgus: It was pretty newsy for us. Since joining the Trump administration, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue's complicated network of ties to Georgia-based entities including his family's company, Perdue Partners raised questions about potential conflicts of interest as well as his working relationship with his cousin, Georgia Sen. David Perdue. Last month, the U.S. State Department said it will start processing more applicants seeking H-2A temporary. He served two terms,. But Perdue is struggling. On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. 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. 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. I ran because I was frustrated with the government. [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. 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. 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. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has long been President Donald Trumps most effective advocate among rural voters. [9], Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. The new questions surrounding Perdues 2017 agreement follow his rebuke last week by the Office of Special Counsel for using a taxpayer-funded event to promote President Donald Trumps reelection, in violation of the Hatch Act. Sanders: one of the the most fun, engaging, charming, and charismatic people Ive ever been around. Perdue: he has an amazing instinctive ability to make decisions.. Steve Fennessy: Well, there was also some changes that happened on the board itself, right? The board cited Perdue's, quote, "vast understanding of the issues facing the university system," unquote. 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. Eric Stirgus: His name is Steve Wrigley and he retired. Steve Fennessy: Matthew Boedy, a University of North Georgia professor and president of the Georgia conference of the American Association of University Professors, told the New York Times that, quote, "a chancellor's job is to defend the system against such bills. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgias public university system. Many credit Pierre Howard for helping Perdue build the early foundation of what would become his future political career.[20]. The . (David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). 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. And you know, for a lot of critics, you know, it did raise their concerns about all of this. In the podcasts final episode before the election, released Oct. 29, Perdue hosted another MAGA loyalist, the high-living former Wall Street man and TV personality Larry Kudlow, the non-economist who Trump improbably chose to lead the National Economic Council. But then prior to him, you had Errol Davis, who was a utilities company executive and he had no administrative experience in higher education. (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. [25], In 2007, Perdue convinced a skeptical legislature to approve a $19 million fishing tourism program he called Go Fish Georgia. So, you know, it'll be interesting to see. 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. 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. 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. [58][59], Under Perdue, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was accused of suppressing scientific publications for political reasons. Brian Kemp: That's why I'm looking forward to working with the members of the General Assembly this legislative session to protect our students from the divisive ideologies like critical race theory. You know, he provided the money for the budget for the university system, and he understands how the system, you know, to a certain degree, you know, how the system works. 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. But last year,. The watchdog groups are now seeking information about whether Perdue was involved in a decision by the Army Corps of Engineers which works with USDA on some wetlands restoration efforts to reallocate Soque River Conservations credits in a way that significantly increased their value. Students and faculty members around the state are reacting to news that Republican former Gov. Each of those firms is owned by Perdue Business Holdings Inc., and Secretary Perdues newly created FALF Management Trust of which the secretary is a co-trustee owns 100 percent of the voting stock in Perdue Business Holdings, according to his 2019 disclosure. United States, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. [42] The floods resulted in Perdue declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties. Steve Fennessy: So there's a school of thought that Gov. The watchdogs question whether the sale of AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products was enough to quash all potential conflicts. In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. "There is one thing we know for sure: Sen. David Perdue will be . The property (in Estill, South Carolina) had originally been purchased by ADM for 5.5 million dollars, and independent assessments and government tax assessors agree on that as a fair range; however, AGrowStar was offered the property for US$250,000, a fraction of its value. The terms of two of those members expired at the beginning of January, and Gov. Jess Mador is our producer. RELATED: Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. Eric Stirgus: Well, he didn't go into specifics that day. You can keep up with Georgia today by subscribing to the show at GPB.org. Two-thirds of the reassigned USDA employees chose to quit rather than accept relocation. [25] Perdue then used the new law on his 2004 tax return to defer $100,000 in taxable gains from the sale of land. [23], In January 2003, Perdue signed an executive order prohibiting himself and all other state employees from receiving any gift worth more than $25. 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. Born George Ervin Perdue III, Perdue has been known as Sonny since childhood, and prefers to be called by that name; he was sworn in and signs official documents as "Sonny Perdue". 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. What does it mean to be a chancellor? Dr. Sonny Perdue bio. So let's go into November with me as your nominee.". He later served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and was named chancellor of the University System of Georgia in 2022.. Background and Education She says a lot of things. [56] The attrition rate was particularly high in the Resource and Rural Economics Division (90%) and in the Food Economics Division (up to 89%). The staff of Mother Jones is highlighting the years heroes and monsters. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. 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. 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. The reallocation entailed raising the companys holdings of highly valuable wetlands credits while lowering its portion of much cheaper stream credits. Founder and partner in an agricultural trading company,[4] Perdue served from 2012 to 2017 on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.[3][5] He is the second secretary of agriculture from the Deep South; the first was Mike Espy of Mississippi, who served under President Bill Clinton from January 1993 to December 1994. Once again, left-leaning organizations like American Oversight will do anything they can to stop this administration from helping the American people, the spokesperson said. The North American Vexillological Association had deemed it the ugliest U.S. state flag. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. Steve Fennessy: OK, Sonny Perdue is, I think he's 75. He was sworn in by Supreme Court associate justice and fellow Georgian Clarence Thomas. 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. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, a Democrat, later ran the University of California system, and former Gov. 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. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. Steve Fennessy: What form has that opposition taken on college campuses or in academic circles? So without that accreditation, it could severely impact, you know, enrollment. Sonny Perdue issues state of emergency for 17 Georgia counties", "Perdue fails to disclose '04 purchase of land", "Trump to announce Sonny Perdue for Agriculture", "Sonny Perdue Sworn in as 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture", "Trump hires campaign workers instead of farmworkers at USDA", "Sonny Perdue is Trump's 'designated survivor' for State of the Union 2018", "Perdue tells second Iowa Ag Summit he wants to support new farmers", "Trump administration to return refined grains to school lunches", Many USDA workers to quit as research agencies move to Kansas City: 'The brain drain we all feared', ERS union predicts mass exodus ahead of relocation, 'Cut, Relocate, Eviscerate': Moving a USDA Research Agency Will Have Lasting Consequences, Employees Say, Economists flee Agriculture Dept. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. [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. Earlier this week, Georgia's Board of Regents announced that Sonny Perdue was the sole finalist for the job. Eric Stirgus: Now, you know, conversely, his supporters say he was a governor of Georgia for eight years. [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. He stated that legitimate, measurable carbon trading could spur so-called carbon sequestration by giving farmers an incentive to innovate. Kemp. [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. Atlanta, GA 30318 You know, looking at that and he can say that Gov. Trump announced just days before his own inauguration, on Jan. 20, 2017, that. You know, we reported as soon as we got the copy of the letter. [61][62], In February 2020, Perdue endorsed putting a price on carbon dioxide, a climate change policy favored by many economists. Kemp is sort of paying back a favor. You know, I've worked with him, but you know, I just didn't feel like, you know, he was the best person for the job. I mean, you know, there is one former member now, Phillip Lehi, who did, you know, say, Hey, I like Sonny Perdue personally. So I think there is some concern out there among some of them. You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. Steve Fennessy: How unusual is it for a letter like that to be written? Perdue, a former US senator, has so far raised a fraction of what Kemp has in his campaign war chest. Why is accreditation important for a university system like Georgia's? 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. Perdue restructured his original family trust into a new fund that he did not oversee, and the fund then sold off two of his businesses directly involved in agriculture the only assets that posed potential conflicts, according to a USDA spokesperson. 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. [21] He became the first Republican governor of Georgia in 131 years since Benjamin F. 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. Not that Perdue lacks national stature - he was the governor of Georgia, a heavily agricultural state, from 2003 to 2011. You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. And so now he's no longer on the regents. Sonny Perdue's . This is diversity and inclusion. On April 1, 2022, Perdue took over as the system's 14th chancellor. [News tape] 11Alive: He tweeted, "Brian Kemp is running for governor of the Great State of Georgia. As governor, Perdue mastered the Trumpian strategy of using know-nothing bigotry as a beard for brazen self-dealing, sometimes involving his own family. As expected, the board named former governor and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as its sole finalist to head the University System of Georgia. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses. He had even served as the 81st Governor of Georgia, and his tenure was from 2003 to 2011. 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 . So Sonny Perdue is very much in the good graces of Donald Trump. The former two-term Georgia governor has kept his cabinet post until the end, maintaining a close relationship with . You know, Steve Wrigley, you know, he worked in the university system before he became chancellor, so he did have some of that experience. This is Georgia Today. David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . 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. Watchdog organizations are now calling for the Agriculture Departments inspector general to investigate whether Perdue has run afoul of the ethics agreement he signed as a nominee for the job early in the Trump administration. Anyone can read what you share. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it was a plum post for the political novice, which he used as a springboard that helped propel him to a US Senate seat in 2014. [24], Late in the evening of March 29, 2005, the penultimate day of the legislative session, Representative Larry O'Neal, who also worked part-time as Perdue's personal lawyer, introduced legislation making capital gains tax owed on Georgia land sales deferrable if the income goes to purchase out-of-state land, also, unusually, making the tax break retroactive. David Perdue is running against Democrat Jon Ossoff in one of two runoff elections in the state that will determine control of the U.S. Senate in the next Congress. Steve Fennessy: The governor appoints the regents on the Board of Regents; there's 19 of them. Eric Stirgus: Yeah it's an important issue because, you know, colleges and universities that do not have accreditation, they can their students cannot get federal financial aid that helps pay for tuition for a lot of college students. Georgia Public Radio GPTV, Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. Later, FALF Management Trust was created. The other election pits Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against the Rev. Latest news, headlines, analysis, photos and videos on Sonny Perdue That's next. Steve Fennessy: Well, let's unpack a little bit more this rather awkward political relationship going on. He was the only member of the Trump administration to endorse such a plan. Why is there 19? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and [48], During meetings with Georgia state port officials, then-Governor Perdue discussed his family business's use of a terminal, then started a new export company in Savannah soon after leaving office. [43], Beginning in 2007, Governor Perdue began to pursue the goal of making Georgia the "bass-fishing tourism mecca". Higher education is where I wanted to have a real impact as governor, only to be stymied by twin recessions, he said in the board-issued statement. 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. Raphael Warnock. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. [41] The next year, Georgia was affected by the September floods, which were the most severe in Georgia's recorded history. Eric Stirgus: Yes. Its another death, wound, stab in the heart for anybody that works in the university system to have someone like this, he said. The Georgia Public Library Service and the Georgia Archives . 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. Jess Mador is the lead podcast producer at GPB News. All Rights Reserved. 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. Mr. Perdue served two terms as governor from 2003 to 2011, and later became Secretary of Agriculture under President Donald J. Trump. Eric Stirgus: Correct. 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. The administration began acquiring bond money for the Go Fish Education Center near his home in Perry, GA. 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? Some farmers ended up destroying perfectly good food. So that's a little strange, isn't it? Steve Fennessy: How big is the university system? It is no surprise that these made up accusations are coming out in the final weeks of October. [News tape] WSB: In a statement, Perdue said education funding was affected by twin recessions while he was governor. [6] His nomination was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee by a 19-1 voice vote on March 30. Mitch Daniels of Indiana has led Purdue University since 2012. Gov. He won his first term in 2014 by fewer than 8 percentage points. Like Trump, hes a former Democrat who ascended to political power (in Perdues case, Georgia governor) in a stunning upset. [57] Current and former employees of the ERS were strongly critical of the relocation to Kansas City, saying the resulting exodus of scientific and economic talent caused disruption to federal research, especially on climate change and food security. The crux of the watchdog complaint comes down to a handful of Perdues businesses the secretary reported as sources of income, at least a half-million dollars, on his 2019 filing. A Senate panel backed a bill on Tuesday that would put pressure on local school boards to adhere to the open meetings laws and create barriers to removing disruptive parents from meetings. Come on board with me. Perdue led Ossoff in the . Eric Stirgus: Sonny Perdue, you know, encouraged then-President Trump to endorse Brian Kemp in the Republican primary back in 2018. [67], Perdue and his wife, Mary (ne Ruff), were married in 1972 after dating for four years. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. The association has publicly condemned how the university system selected Mr. Perdue, a process that largely occurred in meetings without faculty input and closed to the public. June 23, 2021. He switched party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1998 and was re-elected to the State Senate as a Republican. The Perdue USDAs largesse to large-scale farmers and agribusinesses went beyond cutting wages and protective measures for their workers. A Big Ag corporation sold it to Sonny Perdue's company for $250,000", "Agriculture secretary pick Perdue led big political change in Georgia", "Official: Perdue flew copter without license", "Governor Perdue Makes Acting Debut in "We Are Marshall", Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Perdue&oldid=1142223043, Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators, Republican Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators, Presidents pro tempore of the Georgia State Senate, Republican Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state), Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 05:05. The Board of Regents named Dr. Sonny Perdue the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia effective April 1, 2022. 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. [24] The State Ethics Commission ruled against Perdue twice, finding that he had taken improper campaign contributions from donors including SunTrust Banks and that he had improperly used one of his family business's airplanes on the campaign, for which the commission fined the sitting governor.
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