More than 3 months after an official nomination by President Donald Trump, former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next Secretary of Agriculture.
In his new role, Perdue’s first responsibility will be to work with Congress on developing a new 5-year farm bill, which covers policies related to everything from insurance for farmers to programs to feed low-income Americans. The current farm bill expires in 2018. Overall, Perdue will be responsible for all of the U.S.’s food and farm initiatives. There are currently more than 100,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees under his direction.