Tag Archives: Sonny Perdue

The New York Times reports: Georgia’s public university system said on Tuesday that former Gov. Sonny Perdue was its sole finalist to become chancellor, a choice that has outraged some professors and led a regional agency to threaten the accreditation of the 26-school system. The likely appointment of Mr. Perdue, a Republican, comes during a volatile time in Georgia politics, …

“We track daily our plant openings. One of the challenges we had in protein — meat, poultry, beef, pork — had been the closure of some of our processing plants there. And we’ve had infections in those plants that caused some temporary closures. “Essentially all those plants are back open. We’ve turned the corner, and while some retailers are suggesting …

Bloomberg News reports: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he expects meatpacking plants to reopen in “days not weeks” under President Donald Trump’s executive order invoking the Defense Production Act. Slaughterhouse workers should begin receiving more protective gear and access to coronavirus testing “virtually immediately,” Perdue said Thursday in a telephone interview. The USDA has “already begun” working on orders to …

The Associated Press reports: The Agriculture Department said Wednesday that it would appeal a judge’s ruling that it would be “arbitrary and capricious” to move forward during a global health crisis with food stamp changes that could force hundreds of thousands from the program. Federal Judge Beryl Howell, in a ruling late last week, stopped a set of changes that …

Media Matters reports: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently launched a new podcast, and the first episode was largely devoted to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue heaping praise on President Donald Trump with the help of former White House press secretary and current Fox News contributor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. During the 20-plus-minute podcast, Perdue and Sanders spent much of their …

Reuters reports: The Trump administration on Tuesday will propose a rule to tighten food stamp restrictions that would cut about 3.1 million people from the program, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials said. Currently, 43 U.S. states allow residents to automatically become eligible for food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, if they receive benefits from …

Politico reports: The Trump administration has refused to publicize dozens of government-funded studies that carry warnings about the effects of climate change, defying a longstanding practice of touting such findings by the Agriculture Department’s acclaimed in-house scientists. The studies range from a groundbreaking discovery that rice loses vitamins in a carbon-rich environment — a potentially serious health concern for the …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive …

The Des Moines Register reports: The Trump administration pushed the national 4-H youth organization to withdraw a controversial policy welcoming LGBT members — a move that helped lead to the ouster of Iowa’s top 4-H leader earlier this year, a Des Moines Register investigation found. The international youth organization, with more than 6 million members, introduced the new guidance to …

The Hill reports: The Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday announced it would offer $12 billion in aid to farmers hindered by retaliatory tariffs imposed on U.S. grain, produce and meat exports as the Trump administration digs in for a protracted trade battle. The department will use the emergency aid to assist and buy crops from farmers who’ve lost billions …

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who as Georgia governor once held a public prayer vigil for rain, has responded to Trump’s recent religious liberty executive order by issuing a letter authorizing USDA-inspected plants to post any anti-LGBT materials they like. Perdue’s edict likely arises from the case of the West Michigan Beef Company, whose CEO Don Vander Boon reacted to the …

The Hill reports: Newly minted Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is expected to unveil a new rule Monday aimed at giving schools more flexibility in meeting federal nutrition standards for school lunches. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Friday that Perdue and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) will make the announcement at the Catoctin Elementary School in Leesburg, Va., where they …