No Ag Secretary Six Weeks Later

It was six weeks ago that President Donald Trump selected Sonny Perdue as his nominee for Secretary of Agriculture. Farm-state senators are frustrated as the administration hasn’t yet sent in paperwork for the nomination to the Senate. Those farm-state senators represent a lot of the core voters that were key to Trump’s election.

Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts needs that paperwork before he can schedule a hearing. Roberts says he isn’t sure what the hold up is. “We need a champion for agriculture,” Roberts says, “we need him on board.” He predicted last week that once the paperwork is in there shouldn’t be any problem getting Perdue confirmed. The White House says the paperwork is coming soon.

Senators say they haven’t been given any reason for the delay. “They don’t seem to have a reason as to why his name hasn’t come up,” says Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who spoke with several White House staff members about the nominee. Some farm-state senators are questioning whether the president is paying enough attention the the rural areas that played a big part in his election. South Dakota Republican Senator Mike Rounds disagreed, saying “He’s talking about rolling back regulations, things that really matter to rural America.”

Source;  NAFB News