After nearly two months since his nomination, the Senate Agriculture Committee has set the confirmation hearing start date for U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary nominee Sonny Perdue.
Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow announced the committee will begin the confirmation hearing process on Thursday, March 23.
President Donald Trump announced in January that he would nominate Perdue, according to POLITICO. The nearly two-month delay to officially nominate Perdue and send his ethics forms to the Hill have been a sore spot for agriculture.
Perdue’s ethics paperwork was filed with the committee on March 9 and his FBI background check materials were made available the next day.
Perdue is one of the few remaining Cabinet nominees waiting to be confirmed. Trump’s pick for U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer and his nominee for labor secretary Alexander Acosta are also pending.
According to Agri-Pulse, Perdue grew up on a diversified crop and dairy farm in central Georgia and is the managing partner of AGrowStar, which operates grain elevators in Georgia and South Carolina. He is a former president of two regional groups—Georgia Feed and Grain and Southeastern Feed and Grain. He has also served on the board of the National Grain and Feed Association.
Perdue’s nomination has widespread backing within agriculture.
“Gov. Perdue will provide the strong voice that agriculture needs in the new administration. He is an outstanding nominee,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall, also from Georgia, said after Perdue was nominated in January.