The Trump nominee for agriculture secretary, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, has the support of North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, the first Democrat to endorse him. A Democrat-turned-Republican, Perdue has attracted none of the controversy dogging other cabinet nominees. But as the last of President Trump’s selections, he still awaits a confirmation hearing.
“After meeting with Gov. Perdue today, I look forward to confirming him to this important post and working with him to get results for North Dakota farmers and ranchers,” Heitkamp said in a statement. Heitkamp sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which will schedule a confirmation hearing after receiving background materials on him from the White House.
If confirmed by the Senate, as seems likely, one of the top challenges for Perdue would be advising Congress during drafting of the 2018 farm law. Heitkamp said her priorities for the bill are a strong safety net for farmers, promotion of agricultural exports and a guarantee of “critical research funding.”
The 2018 farm bill will respond to flaws in the 2014 law rather than be a major overhaul of policy, Heitkamp told the Grand Forks Herald. She told the newspaper that Perdue recognizes the political necessity of combining public-nutrition programs and farm subsidies in the farm bill and the demand for the federally subsidized crop-insurance programs.
Heitkamp, who met met Trump for a post-election discussion that prompted rumors that she was under consideration for the cabinet, is one of seven Democrats on the Senate Agriculture Committee facing re-election in 2018. Trump carried the state by a 2-to-1 margin. Heitkamp said last fall that she would run for another term in the Senate rather than try again for governor.