President Trump’s nominee for agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue of Georgia, is “having the time of his life” in meeting senators ahead of his confirmation hearing, said a transition official. The paperwork on his nomination, including the results of an ongoing background check, could be in the hands of the Senate Agriculture Committee in early March, the official estimated.
The former two-term governor was the final cabinet selection by Trump, announced on Jan 19. Farm and agribusiness groups support the nomination. Democrat Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary for President Obama, has endorsed Perdue for the job. The Senate Agriculture Committee had no immediate comment on when a confirmation hearing would be scheduled.
Perdue is “the least controversial” of Trump’s nominees, said Successful Farming. “Perhaps the biggest knock – if one could call it that – against Perdue as ag secretary is that he’s not from the Midwest or the Plains where the biggest crops in the U.S. – corn, soybeans, and wheat – are grown,” it said. “Those who know him well have unanimously (said) they believe he will excel in the position because he’s still down to earth and the son and grandson of a farmer.”
Perdue “has the ear of the president if he needs it,” said the transition official in rebutting a report that Perdue was concerned about his prospects following the withdrawal of Trump’s nominee to head the Labor Department. “There is no nervousness at all.”