You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. Yes, there is a acting chancellor. He oversees 26 public colleges and universities with a $9.8 billion annual budget, 48,000 faculty and staff and more than 340,000 students. "[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. 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. Sonny Perdue - Wikipedia What does it mean to be a chancellor? [3], In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. Students and faculty members around the state are reacting to news that Republican former Gov. And I understand that he wasn't the biggest supporter of the idea of Sonny Perdue as chancellor. Perdue bids farewell: 'We put American agriculture first' - AgriNews As governor, Perdue mastered the Trumpian strategy of using know-nothing bigotry as a beard for brazen self-dealing, sometimes involving his own family. (David Perdue is now locked in a tight runoff election that could decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.). Georgia regents name Sonny Perdue finalist to lead University System Steve Fennessy: The governor appoints the regents on the Board of Regents; there's 19 of them. The new law saved Perdue $100,000 in state taxes. [33] Georgia voters chose the flag resembling the Confederate flag. 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. June 23, 2021. 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. Sonny Perdue: Latest News, Top Stories & Analysis - POLITICO Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. [14] He defeated Republican candidate Ned Sanders in 1990 and succeeded Democratic incumbent Ed Barker as the senator representing the 18th district. How did we find out about that? Conley. Kemp continues to be grateful for that support, and he feels some, you know, some loyalty, from what we've been hearing from our sources towards Sonny Perdue. [52], During his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue focused on helping new farmers get started in agriculture. [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]. In his 2002 election campaign, Perdue promised that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag. Saeger, of Accountable.US, said the inspector general still needs to review that claim. Enlivened by these bald lies, and perhaps feeling a competitive spark, Perdue replied that Trump is the embodiment of the amazing spirit that built this country. He sounded quite satisfied after a year spent campaigning for his boss while inflicting lasting damage to poor people and food-system workers during a deadly pandemic that the administration did so very little to control. 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. You know, there was a faction of regents members who were not supportive of him at all. 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. White House Seeks To Lower Farmworker Pay To Help Agriculture - NPR Brian Kemp is in a fierce battle with David Perdue. [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. [67], Perdue and his wife, Mary (ne Ruff), were married in 1972 after dating for four years. 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). So, you know, it'll be interesting to see. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. 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. Sonny Perdue Is Sole Finalist to Lead Georgia's Public Universities 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. He's also a fierce advocate for Sonny Perdue to land the chancellor job, saying his experience . Sonny Perdue Facts - Who Is Sonny Perdue, Trump's Agriculture Secretary How Trump's Food Box Initiative Overpaid And Underdelivered [8] Perdue served as Secretary of Agriculture throughout Trump's term. 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. But then prior to him, you had Errol Davis, who was a utilities company executive and he had no administrative experience in higher education. 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. 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. 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. We'll be back next week. [24], In mid-2003, Perdue purchased 101 acres (0.41km2) of land next to his Houston County, Georgia, home. Perdue is the first cousin of former U.S. Steve Fennessy: So the faction that was opposed or is opposed to the idea of Sonny Perdue as chancellor seems to be getting smaller. And you know, for a lot of critics, you know, it did raise their concerns about all of this. Not that Perdue lacks national stature - he was the governor of Georgia, a heavily agricultural state, from 2003 to 2011. But you know, obviously, you know, there's been a lot of talk recently about issues 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. [News tape] FOX5: Students against Sonny have collected more than a thousand signatures on a petition on Change.org. [25] Perdue signed the legislation into law on April 12, 2005, three days before tax day. Looking at the pandemic, they've also had to take on some additional responsibilities, such as, you know, managing coronavirus relief funds. So Sonny Perdue is very much in the good graces of Donald Trump. 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. So very excited to have the president standing with us and I'm a lot like him. 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. So we have not had a chancellor at least, a non-interim chancellor for at least seven or eight months, right? In fact, for the next two weeks after the prayer, the state's epic dry streak grew worse. Georgia Public Radio GPTV, Oversight group isnt reviewing Georgia regents choice of Sonny Perdue. Steve Fennessy: Politics makes strange bedfellows. Or are they sometimes coming from outside it? These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in . So tell us, what does the job of chancellor of Georgia universities and colleges entail? This is diversity and inclusion. They range from Georgia State University, which has the most students in the system, like about 53,000 students; Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State both of those schools have about 40,000 students each and then University of Georgia. The reallocation entailed raising the companys holdings of highly valuable wetlands credits while lowering its portion of much cheaper stream credits. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. Eric Stirgus: I think, you know, his critics have a couple of reasons that they're concerned. 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. His selection has angered professors concerned about academic freedom. In July, as the general election heated up, the department tapped a Depression-era funding mechanism called the Commodity Credit Corporation to come up with $14 billionwithout having to consult Congressto hand to producers of commodities like corn, soybeans and wheat, ostensibly for losses due to the coronavirus. Mr. Kemp had received Mr. Trumps endorsement in 2018, but their relationship deteriorated following the Kemp administrations refusal to undermine Georgias presidential election results in 2020. 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. Sonny Perdue faces ethics questions over his business holdings Eric Stirgus: You know, it's a pretty important job in the state of Georgia. USDA To Implement President Trump's Executive Order On Meat and Poultry 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? 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. Sonny Perdue, aka George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, is known to be a veterinarian, businessman, and politician of the United States of America. He was the only member of the Trump administration to endorse such a plan. As governor from 2003 until 2011, he celebrated the states legacy of chattel slaverysigning 2009 legislation making April Confederate History and Heritage Month, honoring the more than 90,000 brave men and women who served the Confederate States of America. He was an early adopter of race-motivated voter suppression, signing into law one of the nations first strict ID laws. He later served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and was named chancellor of the University System of Georgia in 2022.. Background and Education 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. The policy, according to the American Association of University Professors, is the only one of its kind in the country. Sonny Perdue on Confirmation to Lead Dept. What's the implication there? Jess Mador is the lead podcast producer at GPB News. Come on board with me. 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. You know, it's kind of a fascinating situation that, you know, your cousin is running for governor and at the same time his political opponent could be putting you in charge of one of the most important positions in state government. Steve Fennessy: Welcome back to Georgia Today. 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. Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes was also on the ballot. 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. Eric Stirgus: He has some interest in the job because, you know, he realizes the importance of higher education to the state's economy. Steve Fennessy: When did we first hear that Sonny Perdue who was the outgoing Secretary of Agriculture in the Trump administration, of course a two-term former governor of Georgia was interested in the job of chancellor? On April 1, 2022, Perdue took over as the system's 14th chancellor. So, you know, we've been hearing that this from faculty members who have been upset about, you know, some of his credentials in that space. [28] In 2008, Georgia moved up again, to 45th place. Thanks for listening. 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." The staff of Mother Jones is highlighting the years heroes and monsters. 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. [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. He also has largely avoided the sort of major scandals that have dogged many others in Trumps Cabinet. The Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday named former governor and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as the sole finalist to lead the state's University System. Secretary Perdue complied with his ethics agreement and followed the advice of ethics officers at USDA when he restructured the Perdue Family Revocable Management Trust into a new family management trust, in which the secretary and his wife had no ownership interest and were not trustees, the spokesperson said in a statement. Brian Kemp is not. 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. The board cited Perdue's, quote, "vast understanding of the issues facing the university system," unquote. That relationship famously has gone has gone south. [9], Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. Steve Fennessy: How big is the university system? And then also there has been, through the congressional redistricting process, you know, because of some changes insome of the districts, you know, we've had two additional changes on the regents where two members are now no longer on the board and the governor has replaced another one of those members and all three of the members that he has replaced are people who have been, you know, very supportive of the governor in the past through campaign contributions and other ways. Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, was confirmed April 24, 2017, and he will have a wide reach in his role. Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue nominated as USDA Secretary [3], In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. 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. After serving as a member of the Houston County Planning & Zoning Commission in the 1980s, Perdue ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Georgia General Assembly. But you know, we are hearing, you know, some of the newer members could be a lot more supportive of Sonny Perdue. You know, he was brought on actually, you know, during Sonny Perdue's tenure to take on the job. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. [67], Perdue's assets during his time as Secretary were placed in blind trusts, as is common to prevent financial conflicts of interest. 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. 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. Kemp. [2] He previously served as the 81st governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011; Perdue was the first Republican to hold the office since the Reconstruction era.[3]. [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. "[35], In 2006, Perdue signed a law that gave Georgia "some of the nation's toughest measures against illegal immigrants. 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. You know, he also backed Brian Kemp to fill the position of Secretary of State. Eric Stirgus: It was pretty newsy for us. The former Georgia governor has a background in agriculture. [25] Perdue then used the new law on his 2004 tax return to defer $100,000 in taxable gains from the sale of land. Eric Stirgus: There are 26 institutions in the system. Perdue and a partner purchased the agricultural land in 2009 and later earned so-called mitigation bank credits for converting the tract for wetland conservation purposes, according to the watchdog organizations. 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. The commitments entailed moving his holdings into a new trust and agreeing not to serve as a trustee or beneficiary of the fund. It generated $102,077 in revenue or about 11 cents for every dollar it cost to run the center in years past. 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. Trump said Friday that he has directed Perdue to provide at least $16 billion in relief. Yes. 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". Janet Napolitano of Arizona, a Democrat, later ran the University of California system, and former Gov. It is no surprise that these made up accusations are coming out in the final weeks of October. She currently produces the Georgia Today and Battleground: Ballot Box shows. [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. Inexpensive, too! Eric Stirgus: Well, there's been a few ways. Raphael Warnock. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "As the vigil ended, the sun shone through what had been a cloudy morning. Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 191 vote. Trump-backed Perdue struggles in Republican primary challenge in - CNN Eric Stirgus: Yes. 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. At least he is out of the gate. earned Perdue a knuckle-rap from the Office of Special Counsel, publicly for a way to cut federally mandated wages, lavished mainly huge soybean, hog, and cotton farmers, more than double the price tag of President Barack Obamas 2009 auto bailout, join us with a tax-deductible donation today. Critics argued that the deal should be investigated, and speculated that ADM, which spends millions of dollars on lobbying regardless, used the property sale as a bribe for favorable treatment. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) abstained, as they are first cousins. [51], Perdue was the designated survivor on January 30, 2018, for President Trump's first State of the Union address. But Sonny Perdue was there from the beginning. David Perdue now a U.S. senator to . The design of the 2001 Georgian flag was widely unpopular, being derisively named the "Barnes flag". I'm Steve Fennessy. [13], In 1971, Perdue earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, and worked as a veterinarian before becoming a small business owner, eventually starting three small businesses. We noticed you have an ad blocker on. It's a little off the beaten path. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a. 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. [News tape] CNN: The former president recruited the former Sen. David Perdue to mount a primary challenge to Gov. 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. [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. Caught in the middle of a Republican overhaul of education, teachers feel under attack, Senate bill cracks down on local school boards' ability to eject disruptive parents from meetings. And so now he's no longer on the regents. I give him my full and total endorsement.". Sonny Perdue's . President Trump is endorsing Brian Kemp's Republican opponent in the primary, David Perdue, to be the next governor. The Georgia Public Library Service and the Georgia Archives . I understand that the Board of Regents, at least in its previous iteration, was not necessarily too keen on the idea of Sonny Perdue as the next chancellor, is that correct? And so there are some ways to Sonny Perdue can help the university system of Georgia. [27] In 2007, Georgia moved up to 46th place. So that's a little strange, isn't it? There's been a lot of different issues that colleges are facing regarding social issues and political issues. The Board of Regents named Dr. Sonny Perdue the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia effective April 1, 2022. 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. Chris Saeger, a spokesperson for Accountable.US, said the reorganization of Perdues assets from one trust to another appears to be nothing more than a shell game and a maze of technicalities and denials.. This is the golden rule do unto others.". There is no conflict of interest in becoming a trustee of a trust that contains no conflicting interests.. Using the CCC to hand billions to big farmersmajor Trump supporters in 2016 is a signature move of Perdues USDA. Find them all here. 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.
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