Ag pick, Sonny Perdue, tries to calm Congress as Trump eyes farm cuts
WASHINGTON - Sonny Perdue, President Donald Trump’s nominee for agriculture secretary, sought Thursday to reassure farm-state senators in both parties who are fearful about the impact of Trump’s proposed deep cuts to farm programs, promising to promote agricultural trade and create jobs in the struggling industry.
At his confirmation hearing, the former Georgia governor stressed bipartisanship, reaching out to Democrats who have complained about Trump’s lack of experience in agriculture and his proposed 21 percent cut to the farm budget.
“In Georgia, agriculture is one area where Democrats and Republicans consistently reached across the aisle and work together,” Perdue said.
He told Republican and Democratic senators concerned about Trump’s trade agenda that “trade is really the answer” for farmers dealing with low crop prices and said he would be a “tenacious advocate and fighter” for rural America when dealing with the White House and other agencies.
Perdue, 70, would be the first Southerner in the post for more than two decades. His rural roots — he is a farmer’s son and has owned several agricultural companies — and his conciliatory tone have already won him support from some Democrats, including Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, who said after the hearing that she will vote to confirm Perdue.
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., has also said she will vote for him. But both women brought up concerns in the hearing, with Stabenow saying that “it’s clear that rural America has been an afterthought” in the Trump administration.
Stabenow said many rural communities are still struggling to recover from the Great Recession.
“Especially during these times of low prices for agriculture and uncertainty around budget, trade and immigration, we need the next secretary to be an unapologetic advocate for all of rural America,” she said.
Farm-state Republicans have also criticized the proposed budget cuts and have been wary of the president’s opposition to some trade agreements, as trade is a major economic driver in the agricultural industry.
Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said at the hearing that producers need a market for their goods, and “during this critical time, the importance of trade for the agriculture industry cannot be overstated.”