President Donald Trump has chosen former Governor of Georgia Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture – the last remaining unfilled Cabinet position in the incoming Administration. Much like current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Perdue has no formal background in agriculture, but is a long time politician from a heavily agricultural state.
Perdue began his political career as a member of the Houston County Planning & Zoning Commission in the 1980’s, and then went on to serve in the Georgia State Senate from 1991 to 2001 before being elected Governor in 2003. Much of his later time in office as Governor was focused on disaster preparedness in concert with the state’s Emergency Management Agency.
If confirmed, Perdue will oversee all activities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including the land management actions of the USDA Forest Service and its regions across the U.S.