Former Georgia Governor and current
Secretary of Agriculture nominee Sonny Perdue recently testified on his views
of the Trump administration’s proposed budget at his nomination hearing, ProAg summarized in an announcement.
“If I’m confirmed, I am going to … work
for agriculture producers and consumers to let this administration and any of
the people that are making those decisions in that budget area know what is
important to America,” Perdue said. “I hope in the context of … a budget that meets the objectives that we can get agricultural
share there. These are important programs; I recognize that.”
The Trump administration’s budget proposal
includes a 21 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2018
discretionary spending, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., pressed Perdue on his
views of those cuts. She ran through a list of USDA programs that stand to be
cut under the budget and asked Perdue’s list on each of them.
“I look forward to engaging this USDA
federal workforce in and inspiring them that we can do more,” Perdue said. “Obviously
it takes some money in many of these areas, and I promise you I will be a
strong and tenacious advocate for that.”
