Transcripts For CSPAN3 Sonny Perdue Answers Questions About

Good morning, members of the committee. I call this meeting on agriculture, nutrition, and forestry to order. We welcome sonny perdue. Members of this committee have great appreciation for the farmers, ranchers, and other stake holders directly affected by decisions made by the secretary. The department of agriculture is made up of 29 agencies and offices that employs nearly 100,000 men and women that work in all 50 states and all around the globe. Leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, Scientific Research and related issues that impact americans virtually every day. Throughout our nations history, our farmers, ranchers, and folks in Rural America have survived drought, disease, floods, tornado, and lately, yes, lately, prairie fires in kansas and whatever else Mother Nature throws at them. Year after year, they produce the safest, most abundant supply in the world but today, growers around the country are facing tough Economic Times with multiple years of low prices. These same producers need a strong market for their goods. During this critical time, the importance of trade for agriculture, our agriculture industry, cannot be overstated and if that was not enough, over the last previous years, farmers and ranchers and Rural Businesses have been burdened by regulations from agency all across the federal government. I have heard time and time again as well as many members of this committee about the costly and hard to understand regulations that endanger ability of producers to stay in business. This committee will continue its efforts to make government a partner in their success, not an adversary. And this committee has a lot of work to do over the next two years, including the reauthorization of the farm bill. We intend to do that work in the bipartisan fashion that has served us so well in the past. In this respect, i want to personally thank the distinguished Ranking Member and former chairperson of this committee, the senator from michigan. Now, more than ever, agriculture needs a voice and advocate at the highest levels of government and Governor Perdue has been nominated to serve in exactly that role. He is from georgia and has spent his entire life in and around agriculture. The governor was raised on a farm and was a practicing veterinarian before returning to his home county to work in the grain business and elected to serve in local and state government, including two terms as governor of georgia. While serving farmers throughout the southeast, he gained firsthand experience with a complexity of transportation on the Global Commodities market. Governor, the senates role of advice and consent is an important responsibility. And today, its a key step in that process. We look forward to hearing your testimony and to asking you questions about how you viewed the role of agriculture. Secretary, should you be confirmed. And in addition to the governor, i would also like to welcome and recognize his wife, mary, his four children, and their spouses and his 14 grandchildren. The governors also joined by so many of friends and former staff in georgia, we cant count them. We welcome you all to the committee. And i am especially glad to have our former ag Committee Chairman and senator from georgia, the honorable saxly and then scott on the House Agriculture Committee, pardon me, the sometimes powerful House Agricultural Committee and to provide introductions of our nominee and i see congressman Sanford Bishop here in the audience to support the nominee as well. Sanford, its good to see you again, but before we hear from senator and scott, i want to turn over to stabenaw for any distinguishing remarks the member might make. Thank you as we move forward op this important position and welcome, Governor Perdue, and pretty impressive that youve got some beautiful grandchildren as well as children and family members. We know that youre proud of your grandpa and were happy to have you all here today, and two of my friends, senator chamblis. Thank you for your Services Chair and somebody advocating for georgia and all of the interest in agriculture, its great to see you and representative scott, welcome as well and a lot of Work Together with our colleagues in the house to be able to get the next farm bill done. So we look forward to doing that. Its clear that agriculture and Rural America need to have a seat at the table. We always do, but its clear that we need to make sure thats happening with this administration. Looking back at our history, our president s knew that farmers were the foundation of the country. Thats why president lincoln created the usda and called it the Peoples Department. Because he understood agriculture is a corner stone of the economy and the partnership is the special relationship with the people it served. The americas farmers and ranchers grow the most safest affordable food supply in the world and we should be proud of that. Food security is National Security because a food secure nation makes our country safe. Our food and Agriculture Sector supports 16 million american jobs. Its the usdas job to continue to make things and grow things in every state. And that means celebrating the diversity of american agriculture as well. Michigan is the second most diverse agriculture state in the country. And its important that usda is a voice for Michigan Farmers as well as kansas, as well as georgia and all of those across our country. Large and small. Conventional and organic. Those who sell overseas, those who sell to their neighbors. We need a voice for all of our farmers. And agriculture secretary will need to look past regional divides and partisan pressures to support our farmers, all families in the rural commu communities and we need an advocate to stand up for them with this administration. Usda not only helps a farmer weather storms but they also save communities from wildfires in the west, help to make lakes and rivers safe for families to enjoy, and ensure children have the healthy food they need to learn and grow to be healthy adults. Rural america is the economic background of our country and true that too many rule towns are struggling to recover from the great recession. The usda made targeted investments in rural economies and now were beginning to see these communities on the road to recovery but we need to make sure these important Investments Continue so that we can keep moving forward. Unfortunately, during the two months of the administration, its clear that Rural America has been an after thought. Even before President Trump took office, he sent a message by waiting until the last minute to name his pick for agriculture secretary. Last weeks budget made it clear that Rural America is not a top priority for this administration. The propose cuts usda funding by 21 , the Third Largest cut to any federal agency and in addition to eliminating critical World Development and International Food aid programs, the administration put a target on hundreds of critical programs that go through the appropriations process. And in fact, under the budget, important resources for farmers and families are facing cuts averaging 33 . We need a secretary of agriculture who will advocate for the importance the theusda provides and farmers need and a strong voice to insist that the president will listen to the 500 groups that are saying that agriculture conservation, Food Assistance and other farm bill programs should not be cut further after agreeing to a 23 billion cut in the last farm bill. We also need someone who will partner closely with congress, especially as we put together the next farm bill and look at other key issues like immigration and trade that have a tremendous impact on farmers and Rural Communities. In the 2014 farm bill, we made bipartisan reforms that save taxpayers billions and protected the farm safety net. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the current farm bill, if we did no changes, would save 80 billion more than initially projected in the next ten years. Largely driven by Crop Insurance costs going down and reduced spending on Food Assistance as the economy has improved. In this country, we work hard to move another bipartisan farm bill. Im excited for this challenge, mr. Chairman, with the usda leadership, with all of our stake holders, i know that we can get it done. Weve worked together before on the comprehensive bill. Well do it again for the communities that we represent and for the entire country. Especially during these times of low prices for agriculture and uncertainty around the budget, trade, and immigration. We need the next secretary to be an unapologetic advocate for all of Rural America. Someone who will be tenacious like a georgian bulldog. Governor perdue, we need a champion and i know you know that, right now more than ever. Today, i look forward to learning about your views to lead one of the most important parts of our federal government. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I thank the senator from michigan. It is my privilege and pleasure now to recognize the distinguished former member of this committee and chairman of this committee, our colleague, our friend, the honorable saxbly chamblis. I am truly honored to be before you today and humbled to be on this side of the dius, but glad to be on this side for a number of reasons but particularly honored to be here today to introduce my good friend who is President Trumps nominee to be the next secretary of agriculture. I spent 12 of the best years of my life right here and when people ask me, what do i miss the the senasenate, i miss my g friends in 20 years in congress and members of this committee rank at the top of the list of those best friends and its on both sides of the aisle so i am truly pleased to be here. When i was sworn in as a new member of the house of representatives in january of 1995, i was given the next to the last seat on that committee which was made up of more than 50 members. The chairman of that committee was the gentleman from kansas, mr. Roberts. Now, mr. Chairman, you probably are the only person in the history of our country to chair both committees and im going to steal your phrase because ive heard you say it so often that sometimes, powerful ag committee but youre to be congratulated for having the honor of chairing both committees. Governor sonny perdue is no stranger to agriculture. He grew up on a farm in houseton county, georgia, and graduated at the university of georgia and after returning to the air force, was actively engaged in rope crop farming as well as in the operation of very successful Grain Elevator business. When i was elected to congress, sonny was a constituent of mine and it was by that time in his life, a member of the Georgia State senate. Now, houseton county is the home of Robbins Air Force base so sonny and i shared the interest of defense as well as agriculture ain our respected positions and we began a dialogue that has lasted to this day. In 2002, sonny decided to run for governor of georgia and i decided to run for the United States senate. Needless to say, we spend many hours campaigning over the next year prior to that election and when you eat a lot of Fried Chicken and a lot of barbecue and ride a bus with somebody for a long period of time, you get to know them and i got to know sonny well. That november, sonny was elected as the first republican governor in our state in 130 years. Sonny has been a leader in everything hes involved in doing. He was in the field of agribusiness in the state and the state senate, elected by his peers to be the president pro tem of the senate and as governor, he was the chairman of the republican governors association. When he was elected governor, sonny did what good leaders do and that is to surround himself with good people. He went out and found the experience ceo and the experienced cfo and he also improved the states leadership by implementing aa meritocracy. He committed to make georgia the best managed state in the nation and received Significant National recognition for his accomplishments. When he was elected, the state couldnt produce an audit, so he created the first state Accounting Office to focus on the timeliness and usefulness of financial information. Technology and purchasing assistance in the state level were antiquated. Under sonnys leadership, those systems were updated and the state purchasing system has received awards for its facility. A new state database was established and much of the appropriate technology was oust sourced in order to stay current and technologically stateoftheart. We all know that technology is way behind the curb and not farmer friendly. This will be a challenge to sonny but i am very confident that he will be up to that challenge. One of sonnys most significant initiatives was the Customer Service focus to treat citizens of our state as customers and to create services for them that were faster, friendlier and easier. That initiative significantly reduced the time and improved the Customer Experience in everything from getting a drivers license to getting a tax refund. It also produced a cultural change, as state employees bought into this initiative. Such an effort at usda would be a vast improvement in the relationship with washington and its largest customers at usda, farmers and ranchers. This kind of executive experience and leadership combined with sonnys knowledge of usda programs make him ideally suited to be the next secretary of agriculture. And mr. Chairman, i would urge this committee to approve this nomination and bring his confirmation to a vote as soon as possible and i thank you very much. Thank you, senator chambliss for an excellent statement on behalf of the governor. It is also my personal pleasure and privilege to introduce a member of the House Agriculture Committee, very valuable member, david scott. Were delighted to have you here in the upper body. We wont go any further with that. Please proceed, sir. Chairman roberts, thank you for that but i want to make one slight correction. When you said that house agriculture was sometimes influential and powerful, may we add an amendment to that so it will go out that the House Agriculture Committee has always been and will always be powerful and influential. I appreciate that correction. It just was only one chairman that had the tenure when it was sometimes powerful. Touche, my friend. I will certainly take that in consideration. General roberts, i am greatly honored and very thankful to have this opportunity to come and stand with my dear friend, my long time friend, sonny perdue. I wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some things about sonny that you need to know. My good friend, senator saxley went into great detail with his immense qualifications, his education, the fact he went to the university of georgias veterinarian school, but im here to explain to you why sonny perdue is indeed the right person at the right time to do the absolute best job. The talents that i have shared and have witnessed with him in coming up through georgias state senate. You see, committee members, i was chairman of the Senate Rules Committee in georgia for ten years, first africanamerican in that position. My good friend, sonny perdue, was the president pro tem of the senate. Now, im not saying that to just shake a bell on our credentials here, but i think that if you put that in the context of the Georgia Legislature and i assure you that Georgia Legislature was one of the most exciting places to be every 40 days that went on for almost 80 days. Now sonny and i had to meet evening single day to Work Together to set the agenda to determine what bills got on the floor in the house and the senate. Sometimes, night after night. And when we did that, we had to also sit with the governor and the speaker and you talk about some fireworks, there were plenty in that Georgia Legislature. But you get to understand a persons temperament when youre on the battlefield with them. The courage, the decisiveness, and sonny perdue was just such a person. And so on all of the major pieces of legislation that affected every georgian of every stripe, of every condition, sonny perdue had a very integral part of that. And so i want to take just a few minutes if i may because whats important to me is to make sure that my friend sonny perdue beebee becomes the secretary of agriculture very quickly and that he comes with his record unblemished. Thats why i wanted you to know at the outset, ladies and gentlemen, sonny perdue and i worked into the midnight hours, night after night. You get to know a person. He and i were like brothers. And i am grateful for that relationship. I wanted to take just a minute though to address an issue that i dont know, may or may not come up, but i think i will be derelict in my duty if i did not set the record straight on the confederate battle Scientific Research<\/a> and related issues that impact americans virtually every day. Throughout our nations history, our farmers, ranchers, and folks in Rural America<\/a> have survived drought, disease, floods, tornado, and lately, yes, lately, prairie fires in kansas and whatever else Mother Nature<\/a> throws at them. Year after year, they produce the safest, most abundant supply in the world but today, growers around the country are facing tough Economic Times<\/a> with multiple years of low prices. These same producers need a strong market for their goods. During this critical time, the importance of trade for agriculture, our agriculture industry, cannot be overstated and if that was not enough, over the last previous years, farmers and ranchers and Rural Businesses<\/a> have been burdened by regulations from agency all across the federal government. I have heard time and time again as well as many members of this committee about the costly and hard to understand regulations that endanger ability of producers to stay in business. This committee will continue its efforts to make government a partner in their success, not an adversary. And this committee has a lot of work to do over the next two years, including the reauthorization of the farm bill. We intend to do that work in the bipartisan fashion that has served us so well in the past. In this respect, i want to personally thank the distinguished Ranking Member<\/a> and former chairperson of this committee, the senator from michigan. Now, more than ever, agriculture needs a voice and advocate at the highest levels of government and Governor Perdue<\/a> has been nominated to serve in exactly that role. He is from georgia and has spent his entire life in and around agriculture. The governor was raised on a farm and was a practicing veterinarian before returning to his home county to work in the grain business and elected to serve in local and state government, including two terms as governor of georgia. While serving farmers throughout the southeast, he gained firsthand experience with a complexity of transportation on the Global Commodities<\/a> market. Governor, the senates role of advice and consent is an important responsibility. And today, its a key step in that process. We look forward to hearing your testimony and to asking you questions about how you viewed the role of agriculture. Secretary, should you be confirmed. And in addition to the governor, i would also like to welcome and recognize his wife, mary, his four children, and their spouses and his 14 grandchildren. The governors also joined by so many of friends and former staff in georgia, we cant count them. We welcome you all to the committee. And i am especially glad to have our former ag Committee Chairman<\/a> and senator from georgia, the honorable saxly and then scott on the House Agriculture Committee<\/a>, pardon me, the sometimes powerful House Agricultural Committee<\/a> and to provide introductions of our nominee and i see congressman Sanford Bishop<\/a> here in the audience to support the nominee as well. Sanford, its good to see you again, but before we hear from senator and scott, i want to turn over to stabenaw for any distinguishing remarks the member might make. Thank you as we move forward op this important position and welcome, Governor Perdue<\/a>, and pretty impressive that youve got some beautiful grandchildren as well as children and family members. We know that youre proud of your grandpa and were happy to have you all here today, and two of my friends, senator chamblis. Thank you for your Services Chair<\/a> and somebody advocating for georgia and all of the interest in agriculture, its great to see you and representative scott, welcome as well and a lot of Work Together<\/a> with our colleagues in the house to be able to get the next farm bill done. So we look forward to doing that. Its clear that agriculture and Rural America<\/a> need to have a seat at the table. We always do, but its clear that we need to make sure thats happening with this administration. Looking back at our history, our president s knew that farmers were the foundation of the country. Thats why president lincoln created the usda and called it the Peoples Department<\/a>. Because he understood agriculture is a corner stone of the economy and the partnership is the special relationship with the people it served. The americas farmers and ranchers grow the most safest affordable food supply in the world and we should be proud of that. Food security is National Security<\/a> because a food secure nation makes our country safe. Our food and Agriculture Sector<\/a> supports 16 million american jobs. Its the usdas job to continue to make things and grow things in every state. And that means celebrating the diversity of american agriculture as well. Michigan is the second most diverse agriculture state in the country. And its important that usda is a voice for Michigan Farmers<\/a> as well as kansas, as well as georgia and all of those across our country. Large and small. Conventional and organic. Those who sell overseas, those who sell to their neighbors. We need a voice for all of our farmers. And agriculture secretary will need to look past regional divides and partisan pressures to support our farmers, all families in the rural commu communities and we need an advocate to stand up for them with this administration. Usda not only helps a farmer weather storms but they also save communities from wildfires in the west, help to make lakes and rivers safe for families to enjoy, and ensure children have the healthy food they need to learn and grow to be healthy adults. Rural america is the economic background of our country and true that too many rule towns are struggling to recover from the great recession. The usda made targeted investments in rural economies and now were beginning to see these communities on the road to recovery but we need to make sure these important Investments Continue<\/a> so that we can keep moving forward. Unfortunately, during the two months of the administration, its clear that Rural America<\/a> has been an after thought. Even before President Trump<\/a> took office, he sent a message by waiting until the last minute to name his pick for agriculture secretary. Last weeks budget made it clear that Rural America<\/a> is not a top priority for this administration. The propose cuts usda funding by 21 , the Third Largest<\/a> cut to any federal agency and in addition to eliminating critical World Development<\/a> and International Food<\/a> aid programs, the administration put a target on hundreds of critical programs that go through the appropriations process. And in fact, under the budget, important resources for farmers and families are facing cuts averaging 33 . We need a secretary of agriculture who will advocate for the importance the theusda provides and farmers need and a strong voice to insist that the president will listen to the 500 groups that are saying that agriculture conservation, Food Assistance<\/a> and other farm bill programs should not be cut further after agreeing to a 23 billion cut in the last farm bill. We also need someone who will partner closely with congress, especially as we put together the next farm bill and look at other key issues like immigration and trade that have a tremendous impact on farmers and Rural Communities<\/a>. In the 2014 farm bill, we made bipartisan reforms that save taxpayers billions and protected the farm safety net. The Congressional Budget Office<\/a> estimated the current farm bill, if we did no changes, would save 80 billion more than initially projected in the next ten years. Largely driven by Crop Insurance<\/a> costs going down and reduced spending on Food Assistance<\/a> as the economy has improved. In this country, we work hard to move another bipartisan farm bill. Im excited for this challenge, mr. Chairman, with the usda leadership, with all of our stake holders, i know that we can get it done. Weve worked together before on the comprehensive bill. Well do it again for the communities that we represent and for the entire country. Especially during these times of low prices for agriculture and uncertainty around the budget, trade, and immigration. We need the next secretary to be an unapologetic advocate for all of Rural America<\/a>. Someone who will be tenacious like a georgian bulldog. Governor perdue, we need a champion and i know you know that, right now more than ever. Today, i look forward to learning about your views to lead one of the most important parts of our federal government. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I thank the senator from michigan. It is my privilege and pleasure now to recognize the distinguished former member of this committee and chairman of this committee, our colleague, our friend, the honorable saxbly chamblis. I am truly honored to be before you today and humbled to be on this side of the dius, but glad to be on this side for a number of reasons but particularly honored to be here today to introduce my good friend who is President Trump<\/a>s nominee to be the next secretary of agriculture. I spent 12 of the best years of my life right here and when people ask me, what do i miss the the senasenate, i miss my g friends in 20 years in congress and members of this committee rank at the top of the list of those best friends and its on both sides of the aisle so i am truly pleased to be here. When i was sworn in as a new member of the house of representatives in january of 1995, i was given the next to the last seat on that committee which was made up of more than 50 members. The chairman of that committee was the gentleman from kansas, mr. Roberts. Now, mr. Chairman, you probably are the only person in the history of our country to chair both committees and im going to steal your phrase because ive heard you say it so often that sometimes, powerful ag committee but youre to be congratulated for having the honor of chairing both committees. Governor sonny perdue is no stranger to agriculture. He grew up on a farm in houseton county, georgia, and graduated at the university of georgia and after returning to the air force, was actively engaged in rope crop farming as well as in the operation of very successful Grain Elevator<\/a> business. When i was elected to congress, sonny was a constituent of mine and it was by that time in his life, a member of the Georgia State<\/a> senate. Now, houseton county is the home of Robbins Air Force<\/a> base so sonny and i shared the interest of defense as well as agriculture ain our respected positions and we began a dialogue that has lasted to this day. In 2002, sonny decided to run for governor of georgia and i decided to run for the United States<\/a> senate. Needless to say, we spend many hours campaigning over the next year prior to that election and when you eat a lot of Fried Chicken<\/a> and a lot of barbecue and ride a bus with somebody for a long period of time, you get to know them and i got to know sonny well. That november, sonny was elected as the first republican governor in our state in 130 years. Sonny has been a leader in everything hes involved in doing. He was in the field of agribusiness in the state and the state senate, elected by his peers to be the president pro tem of the senate and as governor, he was the chairman of the republican governors association. When he was elected governor, sonny did what good leaders do and that is to surround himself with good people. He went out and found the experience ceo and the experienced cfo and he also improved the states leadership by implementing aa meritocracy. He committed to make georgia the best managed state in the nation and received Significant National<\/a> recognition for his accomplishments. When he was elected, the state couldnt produce an audit, so he created the first state Accounting Office<\/a> to focus on the timeliness and usefulness of financial information. Technology and purchasing assistance in the state level were antiquated. Under sonnys leadership, those systems were updated and the state purchasing system has received awards for its facility. A new state database was established and much of the appropriate technology was oust sourced in order to stay current and technologically stateoftheart. We all know that technology is way behind the curb and not farmer friendly. This will be a challenge to sonny but i am very confident that he will be up to that challenge. One of sonnys most significant initiatives was the Customer Service<\/a> focus to treat citizens of our state as customers and to create services for them that were faster, friendlier and easier. That initiative significantly reduced the time and improved the Customer Experience<\/a> in everything from getting a drivers license to getting a tax refund. It also produced a cultural change, as state employees bought into this initiative. Such an effort at usda would be a vast improvement in the relationship with washington and its largest customers at usda, farmers and ranchers. This kind of executive experience and leadership combined with sonnys knowledge of usda programs make him ideally suited to be the next secretary of agriculture. And mr. Chairman, i would urge this committee to approve this nomination and bring his confirmation to a vote as soon as possible and i thank you very much. Thank you, senator chambliss for an excellent statement on behalf of the governor. It is also my personal pleasure and privilege to introduce a member of the House Agriculture Committee<\/a>, very valuable member, david scott. Were delighted to have you here in the upper body. We wont go any further with that. Please proceed, sir. Chairman roberts, thank you for that but i want to make one slight correction. When you said that house agriculture was sometimes influential and powerful, may we add an amendment to that so it will go out that the House Agriculture Committee<\/a> has always been and will always be powerful and influential. I appreciate that correction. It just was only one chairman that had the tenure when it was sometimes powerful. Touche, my friend. I will certainly take that in consideration. General roberts, i am greatly honored and very thankful to have this opportunity to come and stand with my dear friend, my long time friend, sonny perdue. I wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some things about sonny that you need to know. My good friend, senator saxley went into great detail with his immense qualifications, his education, the fact he went to the university of georgias veterinarian school, but im here to explain to you why sonny perdue is indeed the right person at the right time to do the absolute best job. The talents that i have shared and have witnessed with him in coming up through georgias state senate. You see, committee members, i was chairman of the Senate Rules Committee<\/a> in georgia for ten years, first africanamerican in that position. My good friend, sonny perdue, was the president pro tem of the senate. Now, im not saying that to just shake a bell on our credentials here, but i think that if you put that in the context of the Georgia Legislature<\/a> and i assure you that Georgia Legislature<\/a> was one of the most exciting places to be every 40 days that went on for almost 80 days. Now sonny and i had to meet evening single day to Work Together<\/a> to set the agenda to determine what bills got on the floor in the house and the senate. Sometimes, night after night. And when we did that, we had to also sit with the governor and the speaker and you talk about some fireworks, there were plenty in that Georgia Legislature<\/a>. But you get to understand a persons temperament when youre on the battlefield with them. The courage, the decisiveness, and sonny perdue was just such a person. And so on all of the major pieces of legislation that affected every georgian of every stripe, of every condition, sonny perdue had a very integral part of that. And so i want to take just a few minutes if i may because whats important to me is to make sure that my friend sonny perdue beebee becomes the secretary of agriculture very quickly and that he comes with his record unblemished. Thats why i wanted you to know at the outset, ladies and gentlemen, sonny perdue and i worked into the midnight hours, night after night. You get to know a person. He and i were like brothers. And i am grateful for that relationship. I wanted to take just a minute though to address an issue that i dont know, may or may not come up, but i think i will be derelict in my duty if i did not set the record straight on the confederate battle Flag Business<\/a> that has been in the air. I want to make sure that when you measure sonny perdue on that issue as well as all issues that you measure sonny perdue right. Now, let me just give the committee and the nation just a preview and a setting. First of all, sonny perdue and i came along at a very significant time when georgia made one of its most historic moments in changing the confederate battle flag emblem from our state flag. It took time. It took experience. It took talent. And it also took, committee members, gods providence, his divine intervention, at a very critical need when we needed it most and because of leadership at that time. There were three governors. You cant just tell the story with just one governor. This has been an ongoing process and it took education, it took commitment. People of georgia, black and whi white, rose to that occasion and the first who had it was sell miller. That took courage and zell paid the price for that. It took great risk to do so. And then the second governor and then god puts the right people in the right place at the right time and governor roy barnes, one of the most courageous governors, a man of sterling strength chose to do it and he put forward the new flag. And he too, and let me tell you something, committee members, many of those senators, state senators and state representatives, when they stood up to vote for that, many knew that they were not coming back because they were defeated. We have to measure people correctly. And they build on the foundation that each one laid. And then came sonny perdue. The flag issue was in his lap. It was on everybodys mind. So when you judge a person, you have to judge them based upon the circumstances that he was placed in. Sonny perdue let it be known when he was elected governor, he put forward a referendum. It was a tremendous campaign. Governor roy barnes lost the governorship for that. Many members of the house and the senate lost their position for that, and they deserve to be pointed out, respected for that. They paid the price and when it came time and sonny was elected, he promised a referendum because the people of georgia, it was their decision to make, but you talk about brilliance. You talk about achievement and a tough area. Sonny perdue negotiated the compromise and put together the referendum and gave the people a choice and he put governor barnes flag there which had a small emblem of the confederate battle flag on there and then governor sonny perdue did a tremendously smart thing. He got an agreement on another flag that did not have the battle flag emblem on it and he put that flag there with Georgia State<\/a>. Choose which one. You know what . The people of georgia chose the one flag that sonny perdue provided the leadership that did not have the Small Confederate<\/a> flag that roy barnes had. And we didnt get to that point easily, but it was a great moment for the white and black people of georgia and it could not have happened if we didnt have a person with a levelheadedness, with the brilliance and tactical maneuvering, the willingness to sit and bring together democrats, republicans, urban and rural together to solve that and let the people solve it. I often refer to that experience, chairman, committee members. I call to reference three people. God chose three people to get us to the promise land. Jacob, which was our zell miller, because zell miller had to go up and wrestle with this issue, and then came our moses, roy barnes, who provided the leadership right to it, but then we had our joshua, that got us on across the jordan river. With that, mr. Chairman, i urge you with all speed and urgency to please confirm my good friend, a great georgian and a good american, a great american, who will make one of the best secretaries of agriculture this nation has had. Sonny perdue. Thank you. Congressman, thank you for that very inspiring endorsement. I think every member here can say they would like to be endorsed for anything would welcome you to do that. That was very special. And i appreciate it very much. Governor . Mr. Chairman . Oh, im sorry. Oh, pardon me. Senator perdue would like to have the opportunity to endorse Governor Perdue<\/a>. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I promise to be brief. You take all the time you want. Your waving your arms and i couldnt see you over there. I just want to make a brief statement. As its been stated, Governor Perdue<\/a> and i are first cousins. We grew up together. We have a strong family. Its an extended family. I know this man all my life and i can think of no one in the United States<\/a> more qualified to be the next secretary of agriculture. You know, causes us to be strong and courageous. I know this man to be both strong and courageous. Today, hes going to answer all of our questions and the thing i can say to him is good luck, cuz. Governor perdue, would you please rise and raise your right hand, sir . First, do you swear that the testimony you are about to present is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . I do. And second, do you agree that if confirmed, you will appear before any duly constituted committee of congress if asked to appear . I will. Thank you. Please proceed now with your testimony, governor. Thank you, chairman, good morning, and Ranking Member<\/a> stabinaw and its an honor to be here this morning to serve as the secretary of aftgriculture. I want to thank good friends and fellow georgians for their words of encouragement to inspiration to me as well, mr. Chairman, and also, i want to thank my good friend, Sanford Bishop<\/a>, congressman Sanford Bishop<\/a>, who we served in the state senate together for being here this morning and also. I know visiting many of you in our offices, there was anxiety whether there would be a secretary of agriculture nominee and i must say with all the humility i can muster, i think the president must have saved the best for last. Id like to thank each of you to have time to meet me. Not just introductory meetings but my goal today to answer your questions transparentally. Your satisfaction not only to earn your affirmative vote but your trust and if youll afford me the opportunity, ill carry out this awesome job with integrity complicit with the laws and policies with congress and compassion of a golden rule heart. And before i get started, introduce my family members who are with me here today. Im accompanied by my lovely wife mary over my left shoulder. I had no idea when i married her 44 years ago she would be such a prolific grandmother, as you could see with our four children and 14 grandchildren more familiar with my being called big buddy rather than any other fancy titles. Im also pleased and frankly humbled to have more than 30 of my former coworkers here who labored side by side with me while serving the state of georgia and its people. Governor, could you, pardon this interruption, wed like your family and coworkers to stand, please. Thank you all for being here. [ applause ] good looking crowd, if i say so myself. You read my bio and pored over my personal and professional history, but if youd indulge me, id like to tell you about myself. As a youngster growing up on a fai dairy farm in georgia, i never realized the blessings of purposeful meaningful work would serve me. When i was a young boy feeding the calves and plowing the fields, i was an integral part of the farm. My mother was an english teacher, 42 years. Governor, if you would just cease for a moment and well take care of this problem. Please proceed, governor. Thank you. My mother was an english teacher for 42 years, so i benefitted not just raising me with the beliefs i hold dear to my heart today but being an english teacher, made sure i knew about participles. I had a blessed upbringing. My favorite hobbies as youngster were playing Little League<\/a> baseball, training bird dogs and rising my horse, trigger. Even as a youngster, i was determined and goal oriented. I set my heart on becoming a veterinarian having been influenced by dr. Davis, a kind and gentle veterinarian who care f ed for our dairy heard. I walked on to play football for the university of georgia bulldogs, senator, play is not the operative word but i was on the team. Realizing my future was not on the football field, i decided to apply to studies. In Veterinary School<\/a> in 1967, you may remember vietnam was royaling, so i signed up for an Early Commission<\/a> in the United States<\/a> air force. As i finished my veterinary education in 1971, i was assigned to columbus, ohio, as base veterinarian, whose primary responsibility was food safety, Public Health<\/a> and sanitation. Lets, as i completed my active duty commitment, i joined a small level Veterinary Practice<\/a> in North Carolina<\/a> and soon ra z realized that i missed my farm and former agricultural way of life. So in 1976, mary and i and two small girls moved back home where i partnered with my brotherinlaw to build the Grain Elevator<\/a>. And sadly, they passed away after only three years at the age of 43. Ive been in agribusiness since 1977, founder of three transportation firms serving farmers across the southeast United States<\/a>. Farming and farmers have been my life ever since. Ive lived and breathed exhilaration of a great crop and despair and devastation of a drought. Ive learned by experience what my mother tofather told me, if care of the land, it will take care of you. Lets fast forward to what youre interested in. My years as a Public Servant<\/a> and be clear, growing up, i was not one of the young men or boys who shook a president s hand at the age of 16 and aspired to run for office. I was tuned into Current Events<\/a> but absolutely no interest in elected politics. I did understand we all have civic rent so i agreed to chair the planning and Zoning Commission<\/a> but after ten years of that service, the state senate became open and i was asked to run for that seat. I initially declined but after a preplanned Family Vacation<\/a> to williams burg, virginia, i changed my mind having observed the founders demonstration of citizen engagement. In 1990, the district 18 elected me to serve as the Georgia State<\/a> senate and i served there for 11 years and during my tenure, elected by my colleagues as congressman scott said pro temp. The leadership of that body from 1996 to 1998. You probably heard and its interesting to note i served both as a democrat and republican in Georgia State<\/a> senate. In 2002 i was elected the first republican of georgia in more than 170 years and i assumed that office believing it was a big office, not just a position. Our team worked till gently for eight years striving to make georgia the best managed state in the nation. As you remember, the periods of time from 2002 to 2011 were not the best Economic Times<\/a> in natiour nation, but we learned that we could continue to provide value to the citizens of georgia even in times of extreme budget pressures. Even though georgia may not compare to some of your states in some Agricultural Sector<\/a>s, im proud to say i come from a state whose number one economic driver is agriculture. In georgia agriculture is one area where democrats and republicans consistently reached across the aisle and worked together. Im pleased to know reaching across the aisle is common practice with this committee where parliament doesnt get in the way of farmer, ranchers, and consumers. If confirmed as the secretary of agriculture, i look forward to working with you, all of you. The makeup of this committee speaks of the size, reach, and tie versety of americas Agricultural Sector<\/a>. Though i have a lifetime of experience with farming and agribusiness, i appreciate that the department of agriculture touches the lives of american ms. Many ways that go beyond just farming itself including in a very small way improving the lives of the least of these. To continue that role if im honored with senate confirmation, i will work tirelessly to advance four primary goals. Each of these goals is focused on an important constituency, the stakeholders of american agriculture. First i will maximize the opportunity and ability of men and women of agriculture and business sector to create jobs, to produce and sell food and the fiber that feed and clothe the world and to reap the earned reward of their labor. We wont remove every obstacle and give them every opportunity to prosper. Secondly, for the american taxpayers, our customers, i h prioritize Customer Service<\/a> every day. They expect and have every right to demand that we conduct the peoples business efficiently, effectively, and with the utmost integrity. Third is our taxpayers are also our consumers. They expect a safe and secure food supply and fsda will continue to ensure that the food put o ourn table to feed our families meets the strict standards. I will never forget were the fortunate beneficiaries of past generations who put a premium on smart stewardship, protecting, preserving, and untrusting us with those value oobl resources. Thats the basis of our fourth goal. American agricultural bounty comes directly from the land and today those Land Resources<\/a> sustain more than 320 million americans and countless millions more around the globe. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your time this morning and rest assured that if confirmed, i look forward to working with the dedicated men and women of the usda who are committed to serving the Peoples Department<\/a> and i look forward to answering your questions. Thank you very much. At this time before we again questioning, senator chambliss and congressman scott, if you would like to excuse yourself, why, please do s. Governor, aisle begin by saying that our farmers and ranchers depend on strong trade relationships around the world, expanding Market Access<\/a> and ensuring that our producers have a level Playing Field<\/a> is absolutely critical to our rural economy. The u. S. Department of agriculture and the office of u. S. Trade representative have a history of working hand in hand to make sure that u. S. Agriculture has an influential seat at the trade table. As this Administration Takes<\/a> shape, i have been concerned that there may be too many too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to trade and we want to make sure that they are familiar with the main ingredients. In addition to the usgr the president recently established a new National Trade<\/a> council at the white house and increased trade responsibilities under the department of commerce. The question is what is the best way that the department of agriculture can continue and strengthen its involvement in establishing strong trade policies . How can we best work with the u. S. Trade representative, the lead trade negotiator, along with other officials throughout the executive, to make sure that agriculture is a top and i mean top priority. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Youre absolutely correct. I think as senator stabenow mentioned agriculture needs a tenacious aggregate regarding one of the top issues. Were blessed in nation to be able to produce more than we can consume, and were grateful for that, but obviously that implies we need to sell the bounty all around the world, and youre correct. The relationship between the usda and its trade representatives as well as the ustr as well as secretary ross and commerce will be vital. Those really begin with relationships, i think, personal relationships. Ive about had conversations already in this pending time awaiting confirmation to discuss with mr. Light hauser and a conversation with secretary ross over the great opportunity they have to use the bounty of american agriculture to promote Agricultural Products<\/a> and to sell those products around the world. I think building good will as well as doing the moral aspect of helping defeat that world. I thank you for your response, governor. Let me advice all members of committee, we will have a second round. I know members have other things and other responsibilities and other committees are meeting, but we will have a second round. In preparation for the 2018 farm bill, this year the committee has already started our process of listening to farmers, rehab chers, and other stakeholders. Before we write any farm bill the Committee Examines<\/a> the farm bill and examines what is working and what is not working. We will continue the listing and learning process over the weeks and months to come as we craft the next farm bill. I would greatly appreciate your commitment of the departments resources to assist our committee during this entire process. Can we expect support regarding our efforts on behalf of americas farmers and ranchers . Mr. Chairman, i look forward with great interest to be involved with you all as you look to deliberate and to create the 2018 farm bill. I will absolutely commit to you if confirmed the resources and the research of the u. S. Department of agriculture, provide you the information you need to make good decisions. I value my own self as governor in being a factsbased datadriven decisionmaker and i think its important to take those facts of enthusiastics that have worked, learn from the past thngs that have not worked and create a farm bill for the future of 2018. Know you and Ranking Member<\/a>s are already on the job and doing that in your respective states. In listening to our producers across the country as well as our consumer, so i will absolutely commit to you that you will have ak is to the resources of department of agriculture and anything you believe you need to the depth ha you need, if im allowed to be secretary, to utilize those resources. Theres great talent over there. We know that the men and women of the usta have a great wealth of knowledge, the career employees have been doing this for years, and theres a great opportunity to learn from them as well as our producers, and i see the 2018 farm bill as an opportunity to meld the wisdom of those career people and with what you all hear in your own districts to make sure that our 2018 farm bill meets the needs of our producers, our consumers, and the american taxpayers in 2018. Thank you, governor. We have already had the first hearing on matt hat in kansas, 600 people in attendance and thats what the building held. Thats what the fire marshal said would stop. And pretty much all of them, as i recall, senator, stayed. We had 21 good witnesses. And i am going to michigan st e state. I will probably have to wear green and white and may apologize for the 20point victory okay, you can stop now. I wore purple when i i just want you to know that. I wore purple for the chairman, and hes reminding me of something i like to forget. Maybe you could wear black or something. Okay. Senator stabenow. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Im actually going to defer to former chairman senator leahy who has responsibilities in the judiciary committee. We know theres a very Important Supreme Court<\/a> nominee we need to consider and he needs to leave so with your agreement im going to defer. The distinguish ed leader an father always delivered at the 11th hour is recognized. Dont forget, i wrote the organic farm bill too. Mr. Chairman, thank you. And, senator stabenow, thank you for your usual and gracious k courte courtesy. We know how important the didnt of agriculture is in supporting our nations, our farmers, our Rural Communities<\/a>, our hungry and malnourished families here and abroad, forest lands, consumers. They also advance innovation, research, energy, environment, mounting climate crisis. We have to address what is happening in climate change, nearly doubling of acres burned in western fires over the last 30 years. Anding of course, governor, you know that problem in georgia thats left unchecked in ten years. Two out of every 3 think of this. Two out of every 3 we appropriate for the Forest Service<\/a> we spend on fire programs. Of course, theres also the loss of life. Last year we lost a young vermonter, justin bbeebe who wa battling a fire with all the hotshots. So we have to work on this. And i would commend to you as i did when we had our private meeting the dedicated competent loyal federal employees. Agriculture poised many of them and they deserve your support. It is a time when they wondered what is happening with freezes or cutbacks. You should spend time with them. Now, ee going to submit a number of questions for the record, but as i was reminded by the chairman and i never would have thought of this otherwise, i should mention the Dairy Farmers<\/a>. Theyre desperate for a new farm bill. But theyre asking for some your support in developing much needed Risk Management<\/a> options for milk producers. Dairy farmers cannot will not be left behind. They look at cotton farmers in georgia and arkansas who are given generous payments like the 300 million last year in the cotton ginning cost sharing program. I think we have to have help for our Dairy Farmers<\/a>. I would hope that we have as weve had direct support provide Cotton Producers<\/a> by the usda outside of the farm bill. I recommend recommended by the usda for the next farm bill. Will you work on a proportionate and immediate support for hardworking Dairy Farmers<\/a> . Senator, i will commit to you as the son of a dairy farmer and having dairied myself, i understand the hard work seven days a weak, 365 days a year that our farm family, particularly farm families, particularly in your area and others go through. These are family operations and they dont take a holiday, they dont take a break. And i understand the pain when the profitability of these farms and the milk prices are just not there and it puts many farm families under duress to do that. I appreciate that. One of the things problems that they face, too, they have a well documented farm labor shortage. Now the federal leads to a temporary agriculture feature program which helps many as well as supports in your state of georgia the trump winery uses it, but allows only for seasonal farm workers. We had the senate had passed comprehensive Immigration Reform<\/a> which the house did not take up. They said even though it would have passed, it would violate apparently a sacred rule they have, the Dennis Hastert<\/a> rule, as they didnt bring it upham but now were having with the operation of i. C. E. And others, id ask you to support finding a way to include dairy farms. You cant have somebody come in for six months to the cows, okay, ill be back in six months to milk you again. You in your own experience know that opportunity work very well. So we have sheep and goat herders have that exemption. Will you work with us to find a way to have dairy farms dairy farm workers in the same program the same way goat and sheep herders are many. Senator, if im honored by your confirmation of the senate, then i will commit to you to certainly advise counsel the administration over the need for an agricultural pramg for woe a workers that is yearround. As you indicated, cows cannt be milli milked have a day 3 f 5 days a year. Im aware of that. Theres a need. Many of our workers are immigrant workers and while there are exemptions in other places, im certain dairy workers qualify for that as well. Thank you. The chair recognizes the senator from michigan. Thank you very much, mr. Chambliss, and welcome again, Governor Perdue<\/a>. Were glad were having this hearing. We need agriculture and appreciate you understand the agency and agriculture and grew up in it and support the mission of the agency. So thats very, very important. I want to first start where i think senator leahy left off in terms of dairy. You and i have talked about this, and i know growing up in a dairy farm, you understand the challenges and certainly when we look at the last farm bill, chairman roberts and i worked very hard to expand Crop Insurance<\/a> p we did expand it. Especially to crops which were already seeing has been very important with the weather challenges in michigan and other places for our growers and to expand help for young and beginning farmers, but Dairy Farmers<\/a> have not been able to qualify for Crop Insurance<\/a>. And so as you and i talked about yesterday, three National Groups<\/a> that speak for Dairy Farmers<\/a>, both the American Farm<\/a> bureau, National Farmers<\/a> union and the National Milk<\/a> producers have suggested a way that the usda could provide additional Risk Management<\/a> tools for Dairy Farmers<\/a> in the short run because while were putting together the farm bill, we have folks, family farmers in michigan that are in a very, very difficult situation. And so i wonder if youll confirmand commit to working with me and working with the industry and all of colleagues who care about this to used a min straightive Authority Available<\/a> to you to provide our nations Dairy Farmers<\/a> with reliable risk malkt tools including the Crop Insurance<\/a> proposal that was put forward in the letter by the national organizations. Senator, i welcomed our meeting yesterday and i was intrigued by your suggest of that. As i indicated to you many of your colleagues have regretted the fact that the 14 farm bill really tjt meet o your expectations for dairy famers or maybe even the Cotton Program<\/a> as well are not under title 1. So as i indicated yesterday, im absolutely committed to look for a way that can give immediate and temporary relief even prior to the 18 farm bill if its within the discretion of the secretary, if i am confirmed, and also weve go tot be mindful obviously of budget periods as well. So its got to be within the parameters that meet the budget as well. But i think the ideas have been proposed are intriguing to me. I have no philosophical tirchss with those definitions that have been suggested, and i would absolutely look forward to us provides a short and a longterm solution for the dairy and even the Cotton Program<\/a> that may help in the formation of the 2018 farm bill. I think it would be great if we had some ideas that we believe could be worked even prior to that time. Thank you very much. I think we do have an opportunity and i really look forward to working with you to achieve that. You mentioned the budget, and i have to focus on the budget because im deeply concerned about the budget put forward by the administration, the signals in terms of lack of understanding of agriculture. Ive always said to have the economy and class, youve got to make things and grow things. Not growing things is equally important and so when we look at a 21 cut in the budget, its extremely concerning to me and to so many of us that care about small towns. In fact, i grew up in one of those small towns in northern michigan. So id like to go through a series of questions quickly and just get your yes or no whether or not you would support those things. To you think that small communities should have the same access to clean water as large cities . Of course. Yeah. To you think its important for individuals in small towns who live far away from a Health Center<\/a> or a hospital to have access to Telemedicine Services<\/a> . Like you, senator, as a product of a small community, i absolutely do. Do you think its important that farmers have the latest access to refr. And tools to make their farms more productive . Certainly. And do you think rural Small Businesses<\/a> should have access to capital to keep them competitive and grow their business . Certainly. Do you believe that organic farmers have a place many the farming capital . I think consumers across the country have demonstrated that. Im sorry senator leahy had to leeb. Yes. And do you think its important to feed seniors and children . Yes, maam. I indicate all this because these are some of the cuts, areas that have been zeroed out like rural water and sewer or have taken severe cuts in the budget, which are deeply concerning. And so if you just in the final moment here, if you could tell me, first, you had any input in this process of the budget, and, secondly, how do you move forward when we are looking at these cuts . How would you as secretary of agriculture address this to be able to meet the needs of Rural America<\/a> . Sure. I think youre probably aware, senator, without confirmation andconfirmed, e even about had no input into the budget obviously. I think you saw it before i didnt also vm some concern obviously as a member of the administration. I view this budget similar to what i as a governor didnt like as well. I didnt like it but we managed to it. And my goal i think you indicated the words in your opening statement, that you want a secretary who can be a strong advocate and tenacious advocate. If im confirmed, i want to get under the boards and get some room and work for agriculture producers and consumers to let this administration and any of the people making those decisions in that budget area know whats important to america. I think the president understands that many of his votes came from the areas that youre mentioning and referred to and i hope in the context of a balanced or a bulkts that meets the objectives that we can get agricultural share there. These are important programs. I recognize that. I will to everything within my power, within the confines of the Administration Working<\/a> there, to match what our desires are. I flippantly say sometimes, i grew a 20 billion budget in georgia to 16 billion during that 2003 to 2011 period of time, not necessarily voluntary but with the dedicated work of the civil work force in georgia who really worked hard in those areas. We did do more with less. Some of that has to do with the efficiency and effectiveness which i look forward to engaging this usda federal work force in and inspiring them that we can do more. Obviously it takes some money in many of these areas, and i promise to you ill be a strong and tenacious advocate for that. Thank youle let me just stress again agriculture has been doing more with less. That was our charge and we met itthe last farm bill, but the cuts were talking about here will be really devastating for farmers in small towns. Sure. Thank you. Speaking of the budget, senator bozeman, youll be recognized next, but first we would like to hear from the chairman of the distinguished Senate Appropriations<\/a> committee and the former chairman of this committee and would remind everyone of that saying that everybody knows, that the president proposes and the conflict disposes. Senat senator. Thank you very much for your kind remarks. Me and my interest in agriculture and the obligation that we have as government to ensure the fair funding of important Government Programs<\/a> that in many cases help farmers in weather disasters and other changes that come along from time to time that really could put our countkucountry in very difficult economic situations. So i know you are familiar with most of the programs that are authorized by our committee and first recommended by our committee and passed, signed, nurtured by both houses of congress. Youve got a lot of people watching you and urging you to do this and that. And im confident in your leadership, in your insights, your experiences, all to be brought to the challenge of the office of secretary of agriculture. Im confident that youre going to do a fine job and we look forward to working closely with you to identify problems when they arise and can be addressed in a positive way to suit our countrys interest, economic interests as well. Thank you. Thank you. We thank the distinguished chairman. Senator bozeman. Thank you, chairman. Thank you, Governor Perdue<\/a>. Ive enjoyed visiting you in the office and getting to know you over lunch an know more about you and your wife. Youve got a big job before yu and yet you have a history of doing big jobs and we appreciate your willingness to throw your hat in the ring. Arkansas, you know, is such that agriculture is the number one industry. Around 25 . Its interesting, you know, when you look at the statistics though. Agriculture, farming come, is going to be cut from 124 billion to 62 billion. So literally halved, which is a real problem in much of our states because much of our states are rural in nature. One of the things, though, that we can lessen that pressure is looking for other markets. And in arkansas, cuba would be a very important market with Rice Production<\/a> and various other things. Poultry. Can you talk a little bit about efforts that you would take in the sense not only cuba, but other markets throughout the world so that we can have the attitude that weve got customers here, very importantly customers spread out all over the world. Certainly, senator. I think specifically with respect to cuba, for those of you on the gulf coast and those along the east coast as well as those who have been mentioned by your colleagues in the upper midwest, i think we would love to have cuba as a customer in many things. I led an ag delegation from georgia to cuba as governor in 2010. And i found then as much of the problem there regarding the demand was the ability to pay and the ability to finance there as much as anything. I think they would love to have our products and theyre certainly appropriate customers for the rice that louisiana grows and that arkansas grows and edible beans in the upper midwest that they grow, and for that reason, i think if you all could see fit to look into the private financing operation, one of the things they mentioned to us, by restranltss they had to go through europe and have a financial haircut in that regard by being able to purchase the product. So i think we have the product they need and they would like the product. I this i the real issue i heard regarding cuba was the financing part and certainly that would come probably under another area, not the usda, but i would support their efforts if we we could get private financing. Regarding other areas, certainly in senn real, south america, europe and Southeast Asia<\/a> as well, there are new and developing markets there, and i hope that we can work very closely with trade representative light hauser as well as secretary ross in order to put agriculture first in their repertoire of things to trade. And i believe that we have the ability to produce a very efficient crop and products, food products, as well as other products, clothes and other things around the world they need. And i look forward. Thats certainly from visiting with most all of your colleagues, trade was right at the top of the list. I think when you talk with farmers around the globe, thats what theyre most concerned about. We have a world supply and demand issue thats weighing heavily on prices currently, and were see some of the lowest prices in mm years which is putting a lot of pain as a Financial Result<\/a> that you mentioned in your comments. Farmers are really struggling to be profitable, hold on, and many times even the best farmers are not able to protuesday a productve with the best production capabilities they may have. So i think trade is really the answer. I look forward to being an adviser and counsel to this administration about the benefit we have of Farm Products<\/a> to sell around the world. No. Thats excellent. And as you said in regard to cuba, the financing really is key. So we actually have a bill that says not government backed but right. If an individual or, you know, a private bank or whatever wants to do the financing, that theyll have the ability to do that. Im running out of timing but i to want to comment. One of the things i have raep concern about and i think the committee does is you have the feeding programs in the schools. Summer comes, and then you have a bunch of kids, you know, that dont benefit from that. What were trying to to is get a smooth transition. If you would just, you know, afurthermore your recognition of the importance of that. Those rules that governor, you know, that transition stuff havent been changed since the 60s. So if you could just in five seconds certainly. I was able to share with several of your colleagues who mentioned that privately in your office that i would love to facilitate that kind of transition to make sure those kids who are able to get meals while at school are able to continue that through the summertime and they dont fall into a problem during that period of time to keep kids healthy. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, governor. Senator bennett. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you so much for holding the hearing, and Governor Perdue<\/a>, congratulations to you and your family thank you, sir. On your nomination. I wujts going to raise that but thats a bill that senator boozeman and i have together in the summer. Glaed to hear that raised in your comment. I was also going to raise trade and im so pleased with your answer because as you know, Commodity Prices<\/a> are just terrible right now for all of our farmers and ranchers and throughout colorado, our Rural Communities<\/a> which really led the recovery for us coming out of this terrible recession now face Commodity Prices<\/a> that really challenge them as theyre trying to as their inputs are higher and higher and higher, and there was so Much Negative<\/a> talk about trade during this president ial campaign, that i think were looking to you to help resurrect ha with respect to agriculture the United States<\/a>. 80 of the wheat we produce in colorado is exported. All of the growth from our Dairy Farmers<\/a> is going to come from trade with countries, many of which were countries involved in the tpp. Our Potato Growers<\/a> in colorado need to have access to these markets, so knowing youll be a zell os advocate for trade on the Agriculture Sector<\/a> is enormously important to my state and if theres anything i can do to help you help translate that to this administration, i would commit to do that to you. I also wanted to raise with you the issue of our national forests. A lot of people dont know that that comes within the department of agriculture. And you mentioned in your in your statement the importance of smart stewardship. One place we did not have smart stewardship with minute tense of the national for effort as you and i discussed when you were in my office. Last year we spent over 50 , i think it was 60 of the bucket. The Forest Service<\/a> budget. Fighting fires. Weve had in 2015 the Colorado State<\/a> Forest Service<\/a> estimated around 834 million dead standing trees in colorado. Thats up 30 from 2008 estimates. And ive said to Many Committee<\/a> and colleagues in the senate, if youre downstreet from colorado, which almost everybody is, you need to care about whats happening in the headwaters of these rivers and thats forests that are managed by your folks if you are confirmed. So let me first say this. Will you please come to colorado and look at these forests firsthand . I would look forward to that, senator. I mentioned to you i saw the ravages of that terrible fire north of glenwood that occurred many years ago with loss of life and i still see on those beautiful mountains there what the effects of forest fire from years ago. So absolutely i will come and look forward to visiting with you as well as many of your western colleagues mentioned this as one of their primary areas, so its a concern. And i hope, and maybe you can say a word about this, too. Senator thune and others have been concerned about this too. Every year secretary ville sec has tried to put something to end this fire borrowing process to make sure we treat these fires like every other disaster that we have or somehow we budget correctly so we can do the mitigation on the front end because what were doing is were spending money in the mist illogical way. I wonder if you can comment on that . I certainly do. I heard your colleagues lunld clear over that. I had an extensive conversation with vilsack about the upsidedown portion of that and his continuing have to borough to manage those forest fires or to help put out those for it fires. Thats a bad way to do as we talked about. On front end as you know, the healthy forests are helpful in preventing forest fires. Whether its the underbrush, the dead fall that we havent been able to get to, using twothirds of the budget to fight, were upsidedown on that. We need to be doing at least twothirds of the budget in order to prevent forest fires. So my goal would be to reverse that. I would love for you and your colleagues to consider looking at forest fires like we do many other natural disasters as well to put a funding mechanism in there where just like hurricanes or tornados or other things that are floods that we use there would qualify for those types of funds because secretary vilsack was very disheartened by the fact of having to come up with millions of dollars many times from other parts of the budget and borrowing there. And it just didnt it was not very effective. Well, if you can break this gordian knot, youll be a hero in my state and others as well. Like forward to vk you in colorado. I look forward to us breaking that gordian knot. Lets do it. Lets do it. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Senator ernst. Thank you so much. I want to thank you and your lovely family for joining us as well. Its good to see many of you here. As some of my colleagues have stated some of the ag economy has been down the last number of years and a lot of producers are hurting especially the young and beginning farmers that have just gotten their start really in the last ten years. The Renewable Fuels<\/a> revolution bolstered demand for our commodities driven by the renewal fuel standard and energy plans that were included in the farm bill. Trade deals like nafta helped to fuel grain and meat exports which are very vital to our producers profitability. As we have seen many times before farmers are korntsing to innovate and find more ways to grow more food with fewer inputs and have not only met this demand but exceeded it and dundas quite well. Leading to the slump and Commodity Prices<\/a> weve been feeling so acutely. When we travel around the state, i engage in a 99county tour and i consistently hear how difficult it is to be a farmer or rancher right now due not only to the low prices but also because of the onerous government regulations. I hope youre prepared to engage with all those in our ag economy to ensure it remains one of the strongest and feeding and feeding our growing world. Whenever i to visit those farmers and ranchers within the ag community, one of the comments i hear is about federal regulations, especially from the epa, how theyre harming their operations and making their lives pretty difficult, whether its their misguided row us the rule or delay in approving products. Pe a almost seems to have an agenda against those in the agricultural community. How will you collaborate with pa to mack sure their work is helping rather than hindering farmers and ranchers . Thank you very much, senator. I think like many things it has to to with personal relationships. Ive taken up some of these issues. I think not only in the epa but all we develop silos which is unfortunate because as you all know many of our producers, when its made in other regulations whether it be epa or others are the ones that get pushed off the boat, and my goal is to have an Ongoing Communications<\/a> team whether its labor, osha, others, to identify things that would be maybe the unintended consequences of regulations and to Work Together<\/a> ahead of time before those regulations are promulgated to give us an opportunity in representing usda both agriculture producers and consumers to let these other agencies know what the impact would be and what the cost benefit reward would be. Im kind of a facetoface sort of person. Im about transporting the needs and desires h. I come from the part of the world that have seen our farmers as good stewards. I think they want to be. If they have the right tools from a conservation perspective, they want to care for the land. Theyre the ones making a living out there, and i believe they want to do that rather than prescriptive onerous type regulations, lets give them the ability to do that and innocent faiz them in a way to be even better than they have been in the past. But the progress that youve indicated that weve made over the last several years with doing more production with less inputs, precision agriculture, water, and all those sorts of things, preserving our soil. Our producers have done a good job at that. They want kind of a fair shake in being able to produce without the onerous prescriptive type of regulations that harm their ability to perform. I appreciate that very much and i certainly support your willingness to work with other departments and heads of those agencies. We simply cant operate in a vacuum and developing those relationships and keeping those relationships is very important and i think absolutely youre the right person to do that. So i appreciate that very much. I also just want to make a comment too. I know that in the 2014 farm bill, Congress Really<\/a> recognized the importance of trade. Were leaving this now and taking you to a News Conference<\/a> being held by house intelligence Committee Chairman<\/a> david nunes of california which is already under way. This is live. And encourage others of knowledge of others to voluntarily interview with the committee. And so those are the four things i wanted to alert you of this morning. And so stay tuned for more. Yes. Yes. Congressman, does Paul Manaforts<\/a> name appear in the new files that you have received . No, no. The ones that i the documents that i viewed this week, no. Okay. Followup, please. Are you recalling director comey because you believe he was not forthcoming in his earlier testimony based on the new documents . It has nothing to to with the documents that ive seen. I will say that i think there are just questions that we have for director comey and admiral rodgers probably that they just couldnt answer in a public setting, but its necessary to get both of them back down here before we can move on to other interviews. So wait. I want to be clear on this. So you are recalling them not on the basis of the new documents. That is correct. Not on the basis of the documents that i have seen and that im hoping to get today or over the weekend or first part of next week from nsa and other agencies. Paul manafort talked in open session or will this be in a closed session . We dont know that. But he offered voluntarily to come to the committee. We will work it out. Our lawyer, republicans and democrats, will work with his lawyers to see what exactly he wants to do. If he wants to come out in public and have a public hearing, hes more than welcome to to that. If he wants it in a closed setting, thats fine with me. Last night on the Sean Hannity Show<\/a> you said one reason why you briefed the president is because hes been taking a lot of heat many the news media. What do you mean by that . Ive stated obvious. Maybe you can follow me around and ask me more questions. Yes, sir. In the documents you reviewed, how many names were on the mats . I dont know that yet. Im aware of just so i can be perfectly clear, there was an additional unmasking that was done in the documents that i read the other day. I dont know who asked for i dont know who asked for hem to be unmasked. I just know that there are more. Just so you know, i was aware o the unmasking before i read the documents. Schist has suggested that it might have been done for appropriate reasons. Everybody look. I think im the only one thats seen the documents as far as i know. And i can tell you we have i knew about the unmasking before i read the documents and ill just leave it at that. [ inaudible ] it did. Chairman, as far as the sources of these documents, was he a whistle blower around the nsa . We dont as you know, and ive said this several times, we dont talk about sources at this committee. We want we want more people to come forward. The good thing is we have coed to have people come forward vol taurly to this committee and we will continue that. And i will tell you that will not happen if we tell you who our sources are. But i mean as far as the situation in terms of a whistle blower or is it someone who wants to be hidden yeah. Im not going to get into that. We want people to come forward and we will protect the identity of those people at all costs. Are you going to brief adam schist on the full extenlts of what youve seen . Hes made it sound sort of like he was kept in the dark. I was hoping to get the documents today. It doesnt sound like were going to get a full accounting. Hopefully they come in today. The ones from the letter . The ones from the let their mr. Shift and i sent that were tau on march 15th. Different than the ones that your source gave you. We wont the letters should cover the letter should encompass everything that ive seen. Was President Trump<\/a> told directly and do you believe what you uncovered is validation of the tweets he released a couple of weeks ago . I think ive been very clear. As a matter of fact, ive about been very clear on this for many, many weeks now. There was no wiretapping of trump tower. That didnt happen. Yes. But was he surveilled members of congress have suggested on the record that your wednesday press conference might have been orchestrated by the white house. Can you say categorically can you deny it . Yes, i can because it was exactly as i told you. Were you here on wednesday . I was. Okay. So i came out here and i told you all that i was going to i was going go to the white house. I had talked to the white house. My staff had talked to the white house earlier that day to request a meeting with the president and i had not talked to the president before that. Can you clarify whether trump or his associates were monitored or just mentioned in these in l intelligence reports . We wont know that until we actually receive all of the documentation. Its hard to know where the information came from until you get the reports and have time to go through them and see all the sourcing of the documents. Im not going to speculate until we get them all because it was dozens of reports. Mr. Shift since this information you saw doesnt involve it, are you going to start a separate investigation or break it away from the investigation or siphon it off in some way . I dont know about that yet. Its all in the scope of what were looking at in terms of unmasking of names, leaks. Its all in that same body. If we have to section it off and look at it in a different way, we will. We havent gotten to that yet [ inaudible ] for example, it could refer to [ inaudible ] want to know who was being discussed in these . Are there legitimate reasons the unmask some of these names . Are you saying some of the names youve seen are there are reasons to unmask names. I can tell you without question at least some of what ive seen, i dont know what that reason would be. Maybe someone has a good reason for it but not from what ive been able to read. A couple of more questions. Mr. Shift said chist said it baffling that you did not brief him. Yes. And it was baffling ha you could not rule out that the white house was the source behind the documents. Can you categorically say youve asked this question many, many times and i will continue to say the same thingle you can ask me every single name that exists on the planet and im still not gong to tell you who our sources are. Is there any suspicion that there was reverse surveillance going on, looking to surveil a trump associate but doing so in surveying as i said the other day, it appears like this was all legal, okay . It looks like it was all legal surveillance from what i can tell, but until we get the documents i wont know for sure. Who would who would have the authority to pull the trigger on the creation of these intelligence reports . They look like i mean for the most part, i think these reports that i red for the most part are valuable intelligence. However, i think they are just questions in those reports that i wonder does reach that threshold of foreign intelligence and then you have to ask why were names unmasked. Just a followup please, if this does not seek oum out of the ordinary to you is it the fact that its so widely disseminated . No. I think theres two issues hee. Theres some information in those documents that concern me in the reports that i read that i dont think belong there. They would make me uncomforta e uncomfortable, and thats why i wanted to inform the president of it. Thats one issue. Secondly, theres the erb of unmasking, additional unmasking. And i think thats of most concern to me. Its been a very big week for the committee, the hearing on monday and the reports in your trips to the white house. Can you just summarize what you think the committee accomplished this week and your role in it . Yeah. This is look. As you snow, this is not an easy process because the you know, theres politics on both sides of this and im trying to navigate as best as i can. I would say that what weve been very successful at is we have people that continue to come forward to provide us information, and we want that to continue. And the only way we can do that as long as we provide an avenue that the public or others can come to the committee that want to offer information on this investigation. So we would still encourage whistle blowers to come forward, people who have information about this, whether its top secret or not, or anyone who has read their name in any press article, that ere welcome to come forward and be interviewed as we like i said, we heard from mr. Manafort yesterday. What about the job youve got as chairman this week . Thats not for me to do. Im going to ask you to clarify. From what youve about seen, you cannot tell whether the communications directly involved a trump associate or was it two forge charges communicating . Im not going to get into the specifics of what i saw other than it was mr. Trump and the transition team. Yesterday you heard from mr. Manafort. Will you call them to testify publicly such as paul manafort, roger stone, or michael . Will the American People<\/a> appear publicly . If they want to. I tojt know that yet. We have to work that out really with mr. Manaforts legal counsel. You know, we will allow people to come forward in whatever manner they want to come forward. We will work with them. Especially the theyre willing to come in freely. As for the other names, i dont have you know, theres many names that have been mentioned by several member of congress and all of you. As ive said before, were not going to get into a knee though mccarthyism where we start bringing in americans because they were mentioned in a press story and im highly concerned about that. Now, if people want to come in freely, we will do that. As for additional witnesses, i will work with mr. Schiff. Im sure we will have witnesses we want to bring in and mr. Schiff. I know staff and lawyers are trying to talk yesterday and today as to how we move to phase two of the investigation. Once we agree on it, well sign off on it. [ indiscernible ] we are asking mr. Comey and Mister Rogers<\/a> to come back in. And until we can get them in in a closed session, its not going to be worth it to have the open session. That time slot, were hopeful, that mr. Rogers and mr. Comey will be able to come in next tuesday in that time slot so all the members have a chance to interview them and hold a hearing in closed session. Its not because of the [ indiscernible ] no. Its exactly for what i said. How has it come to be investigated. Whats your response toe that . Thats nice. Mr. Chairman, on wednesday mr. Schiff said there was only one unmasked name and it had no to do with the trump team. Is he wrong to say that . Im not going to get into the specifics of that. Were they or werent they because hes saying they were not . Well find out when we get the information. Im quite sure im very uncomfortable with it, ill leave it at that. It has nothing to to with them. As far as i know, they still plan to come forward. I have to run up and vote. Thank you. [ indiscernible ] look. Were just at the beginning of this. I just wanted to inform all of you that mr. Ma a fort agreed to come in voluntarily. Thank you. Mr. Schiff is going to come out after votes. We just finished the first votes. Were going to return now to the confirmation hearing of agriculture come nissany perdue held on thursday. The vote on his nomination could be scheduled before easter. Well keep you on top of that on the cspan networks. Youre watching cspan3. I will absolutely be a tenacious advocate and fighter and do that. I hope you will engage us. Were a very bipartisan Collaborative Committee<\/a> and we all represent agricultural states but we also know how vital as snore thune said, vital to our national economy. A couple of unique north dakota issues. We have a lot of prairie potholes. Its part of what we do in terms of the resource and it provides for some great duck hunting and geese hunting, but we have a lot of farmers who would like the turjts to farm their land and not just raise ducks and one of the problems we have is not only runs into an attitude sometimes that the wetland is more important than the farmer but also not having enough staff to do the work that needs to be done in order to make the determination within usda. Can you commit that you will staff up so we wont have farmers waiting to find out if they can tile their land . Not only staffing up, but i also think the relationship as we talked about earlier with the administratoe epa to make sure our producers and farmers dont get caught in the unintended rules gone awry in a con fis ka torrey way because thats very important. As they try to be compliant, sometimes they get caught into a web of rules that are very onerous, and i will not only try to provide the staff that they could do good conservation or good soul preservation, but work with our administrator epa to to that as well. We love our neighbors to the north, but sometimes wed like maybe a little tougher enforcement on some of the grain standards. Weve been working on a project out of my office as it relates to treatment of our grain which becomes feed category as opposed to what it really is, which is good quality wheat. Of course, we offer a different opportunity for canadian grain that comes south. Can you commit to the dsnr to destine grish grain going to north . Certainly. I think this is one of the many areas that talk about the benefits to nafta. As we look at that, there are unilateral issues during that cattle and milk products that we can certainly look to our neighbors to the north that we have a great relationship but we want to make sure it is a fair proposition for all. Great. The Sugar Program<\/a> is critical, and im not sure. I havent been here for the whole hearing. I dont know if anyones raised this with you. But its been a program thats guaranteed a steady supply of sugar to this country. It doesnt cost the taxpayer anything but it provided the opportunity in my community and my state and state of many states across the country. Will you continue to commit to supporting the Sugar Program<\/a> as its been outlined in the farm program in the past . Senator, if confirmed, i commit to you that i will look at that in the farm Program Going<\/a> on and will commit to support the best ben foist that. I think also thats another issue where maybe trade to the south. We need to look at some of the issues over sugar and equities that may be coming into the country that have been harmful o your growers. I was kind of hoping for a yes. I guess i got a maybe. Thanks so much, glorj, and congratulations on your nomination. Thank you. Senator perdue. Mr. Chairman, for the sake of the public, Academy Going<\/a> to with hold questions today. It would appear that it would be senator strange. Welcome to committee, sir. Well, thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Its an honor to be the first t on thing Agricultural Committee<\/a> in 20 years. I am especially pleased to welcome you mr. Purdue, and to have a secretary who will speak the same language as your neighbor no the west. I am also going to be sparing the panel lengthy questioning, because we talked about it privately, and i want to build on something that senator ernst mention ed. For the last ten years, i was the attorney general of the state, and i was able to work with now epa administrator scott pruitt, and spent a lengthy time working with trying to get some tof the things undone by the ep and so agriculture is our biggest part of the alabama, as you know, as we share the same industries forestry and catfish farming and other farming activities and the lack of the cooperation between the agencies is frustrating to the farmers. What i am hoping that you will do is to follow through with the commitment to senator ernst that you as secretary of agriculture are communicating with administrator pruitt and others to eliminate unnecessary and inefficient and inconsequential barriers to the farmers so they can produce the products that we need in this country, and internationally, so i appreciate the comments to hefrmt i dont have another question for you right now, and ki submit some others later, but it is of a concern to many, and real world concern to people who have to live under the regulation s ts we pass here in washington. Thank you, senator. Just like i mentioned to senator ernst, if im a honored with the confirmation, that is one of the things they look most forward to, because we have seen it, the harm that it causes when one agency looks like they are working at cross purposes of another. We are all americans, and we are all beneficiaries of all of the agencies, and i am looking to develop the relationships, and the mutual respectful relationships of the Department Heads<\/a> and other agencies that can communicate possible unintended scon econsequences, thank you for that. I u look forward to continuing to work with you as you assume your responsibilities, and i also wanted to welcome your beautiful family, and thank you for your public sacrifice, and the family is a partner in this venture as i well know. Thank you. Thank you. Senator donnelly, you were awol last night, and so i want a written excuse, and i will recognize you anyway. Sir, i am afraid that you would have sent to me to e woe gee y iwo jima. I want to invite you to a big Football Game<\/a> where you can watch the irish beat the bulldogs, and would you like to come . I will take the invitation except for the last clause there. And i want to talk to you about the Crop Insurance<\/a>, because it is critically important to my state, and it is something that we will be working on in the farm bill. To my farmers in indiana, that is something that they want to make sure that stays strong and protected. I wanted to get your views on that. Thank you, senator. I thought that you all in the 14 farm bill made a lot of progress in the Crop Insurance<\/a> area, but obviously, it can be refine and made better, but it is vital to the farmers, good producers there that need that safety net of both the risk profduction and pricing that you all did so well in that area. I hope that we can even continue that and enhance that, and as some of the colleagues have mentioned, look at the Risk Management<\/a> proposals, and other commodities that make sense. To many, the american taxpayer gets a good value for that and hopefully we can Work Together<\/a> and i look forward to working with you all as we continue, and if i am confirmed to make sure that the Crop Insurance<\/a> program is sound, solid, and a good economical value for both not only the producers, but the taxpayers as well. One of the things that we are all shooting for, and i know that in kansas and michigan and indiana and mississippi is for growth of the rural areas, and maximizing the Economic Opportunities<\/a> there. That is a passion of mine to k make sure that we have 92 counties, and every county has a chance, and every community has a chance, and the chance the buy a home, and raise a family, and take a vacation, and retire with dig nity, and the secretary of agriculture plays a huge role in Rural Communities<\/a> especially. We have to make sure that rural companies have broadband so that those companies can compete across the world and the same access of Educational Opportunities<\/a> as the children do in the cities, and to expand the market opportunity, and i want to make sure that as the secretary of agriculture, you will become laoing at things like broadband and others to maximize the broadband for rural and other communities . Not only broadband, but the opportunity of the usda in vitality. And the vitality of the communities in your state and awe of these states depends on a strong ingagricultural economy. And the usda in the past has helped Rural Communities<\/a> over the line to help them to do some things whether it is health care or other types of things to do that and that is one of the great benefits that i looked forward to doing, if confirmed to make the lives of people across america, and particularly in the rural areas better, because of the presence of the usda. One other thing, we work on the conservation products, and the cover crop program, we are first in the nation with that and as the Ranking Member<\/a> and the chairman talking about nobody cares about the environment more than the farmers and the families who live there. We want to make sure that as you are looking at your job going forward, you will commit to work to support and improve the conversation programs as well. Certainly, the nrcs is a big part of the agriculture and as farmers learn more about the more efficient use of water in the irrigation and precision agriculture, and the research arm of the usda and the extension arm pushing that education information out is critical to continued improvement, and one thing that i like is the farmers are competitive and they want to improve each and every year. I apologize, i have to ask one more thick. The usda has asked for more treatment of opioid treatment in the community, and they have assisted in creating transitional housing, and funded initiatives to improve education and awareness to this, and purdue has been an amazing partner in this, and i want to make sure that the usda is our partner in this critical area. Yes, and senator vilsack and i were having a conversation about that, and how to add values in the areas of health care, and so certainly. Mr. Chairman, marines are my heroes and i would be honored to go to mess any time with you, and any time you want to bring me, ill be your wingman, sir. Semper phi. Governor purdue, thank you for your willingness to step up to serve as the secretary of agriculture, and this is a big deal for my home state of montana, because it is number one industry. And without agriculture, montana does not have a strong economy. And we produce wheat, barly, and sugar beats and we are the leading producer of pulse crops which is exciting, and we have diversified the ag portfolio, and our products are a Critical Role<\/a> in not only feeding the country, but the certainly world. And ag products across the nation is diverse, and montana ag presents unique, and specific challenges, but great opportunities. With that in mind i want to extend an invitation to you in great falls where we have ground zero of the ag foundation, and if nothing else, we do some elk hunting there for the i welcome that opportunity. And certainly, we have more spending power today on the per capita basis as we are thinking of the longer term, and Wayne Gretzky<\/a> said skate to where the puck is headed and not where it is at. And so today is a great future for farmers and ranchers, but we are seeing the declining prices, and the boys of the barley and wheat producers and the cattle producers, and it is a tough climate because of the low prices, and the access to foreign markets for the long term growth cannot be overstated. Vast amounts of our wheat, barley, beef, pulse crops are exported every year, and that is going to help us in the price arena to grow jobs and economy. Governor as secretary, how do you assure that voices heard loud and clear within this administration will fight for our farmers and ranchers to make sure that we have access to new markets abroad and not face retaliation. Thank you, senator. The good news is that we have a growing middleclass around the world hungry for the products. In food, it is a noble thing to tra trade, and as i have indicated several times before, we have a great story to tell. We have producers here who can produce more than we need to consume, and that is not the case in many parts of the world. So why dont we use that bounty to supply a one of the fundamental needs of mankind around the world, and i will continue tirelessly to advocate that within our a administration and in conjunction with you all in development. I plan to to be on site as usdas chief salesman around the world to sell these product, and knee gosch yat them side by side with secretary ross, and our whole team there. I believe that usda is going to be intimately involved in the personal on the ground boots on the ground negotiations at tables around the world with ag ministers and foreign dignities there to sell our product. I know that is going to be music to the ears of montana farmers and ranchers to have a advocate for you. As a governor, you are bringing the perspective to be the chief sales person on behalf of farmers and ranchers around the world. I want to shift gears and talk about the for eest reform. One tof the highest priorities o my home state is restoring access back to montana. With the excessive laws, and we have chronic litigation from the extreemist groups, and healthy for estis a forest is that is actively managed and even the products moving through collaboration, and sportsman groups, and conservation group, and folks from the logging industry, and moving forward an litigated and oftentimes go to lose the cases before the ninth circuit as they have continuous litigation. And unfortunately, we have a recent ninth Circuit Decision<\/a> called the cottonwood environmental law center, and it has added another layer of unnecessary red tape and threatening dozens of Forest Management<\/a> products. The Supreme Court<\/a> wont hear this unfortunately, but we believe that we can change the outcome statutorily, and i have bipartisan support for this legislation, and i wonder if you will work with me to reverse this disastrous decision. I welcome the opportunity to work with you, and i have seen your legislation, and i agree whole heart think, and the end is the end, and rather than stopping the things that have been agreed to with continuing legislation or litigation rather is just unproductive, and creating the what you talked about up productive and unmanaged forest. At some point we have the say, that it is, we have made a decision and moving forward. Many of the colleagues have nepa approved product projects the have not gotten to. And so i am hopeful that as senator, we demonstrate good stewardship, and management of the u. S. For ests, the litigators on the other side will see it is good, it is productive, and the forests are renewable, and healthy and better for anyone when they are managed well and rather than to lay out there to die upon themselves. Hopefully we can do that well said, governor. Thank you. Mr. Chairman. Senator klobuchar. Thank you, governor, i enjoyed the meeting in the office and minnesota is fifth in the country for agriculture, and we discussed the differences that you are aware of the southern and the midwestern culture, and one of them is bird s. We were hit by the avian flu hard in the midwest and around the country as a result of almost 9 million birds died causing the economic losses of 650 million and given the recent detections in tennessee, alabama and wisconsin, are you prepared to respond immediately to prevent the possible spreadf of the disease if and when you are confirmed ask is tear . Certainly, senator. As you know the poultry production of this country is amazing and the whole ecosystem around that protein and exporting worldwide whether it is eggs or poultry protein is critical. I am very proud of the work that i have seen that the usda has done in tennessee and very quick confinement, and working cooperation with both states of alabama and tennessee, and the hardworking people in that Animal Health<\/a> area have done a wonderful job. I think that they learned a lot from the 2015 outbreak where we were a little slow there. They got on this very quickly, and we are praying that it is confin confined. And so certainly, we can not confine a poultry industry in any sector to be affected by the damages of a very severe high pa pa pathogen influenza. And will you work with we understand what the proposal is, but we are hoping that you will look at the keepers of the purse. And that is a good answer, thank you. Im the lead sponsor of the senate bill to end the embargo with cuba and how would you respond to the farmers concerned about the administration cutting off opportunities for American Business<\/a> in cuba or somehow changing president obamas executive order. I mean, we would like to go further, and pass legislation, but we are where we are right now . Again, i have answered earlier that if we can get the private financing done there, and proposals to do that, and american ingagriculture in the upper plains and the gulf coast and the east coast have a wonderful opportunity. That is a country that is hungry. I led a delegation there in 2010 from ga and they wa from geoy wanted our product, but they could not afford it based on the financial crisis they were in, and hopefully we can mitigate that. I know that senator thune asked you about the rfs and will you work to advocate for the strong renewable fuel standard in the intraagency review with some of the other secretaries . I will. Okay. That is a great answer, too. And the the dairy program, would you do to assure that the resources are available for the Margin Protection Program<\/a> to be a mooningful safety net nfor th Dairy Farmers<\/a> . Thank you, senator. I have heard some recent ideas recently that will enhance that Margin Protection Program<\/a> with the Risk Management<\/a> program for immediate releaf as well as possible solutions for the 2018 farm bill. The volatility of the prices that we have seen in dairy are unsus t unsustainable, and you have not only family dairy farms, and others that are not profitable, and many of them dont have the equity to continue in that area, and it is going to the change their whole lives. Thank you very much. Senator danes was discussing forestry with you, and in the 2014 farm bill, i worked on giving the forest good neighborle tools to help to emphasize the for est. I love that name good neighbor. That is what i hope we can become. Again, where the u. S. Forest service is a part of the community and in dwelling there and working with the private citizens there, and not just for the jobs, but good Forest Management<\/a>, and literally being good neighbors, and no better way to say it. Im the chairman of the broadband caucus, and the commerce committee, and we talked briefly in my office about the importance of broadband in rural areas, and do you want to end with that and what you would love to see coming out of usda . I would love to see it done across the country. With the infrastructure proposal, we will have a seat tablt there, and the white house has asked usda about their ideas about that, and that is number one as well as Water Resources<\/a> as well. Okay. Very good. Thank you very much, governor. Senator hoben. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And thank you for being here, and congratulations to you and your family. I chair the Appropriations Committee<\/a>, and i want to express my appreciation for senator klobuchars question, and more appreciation for your answer and i look forward to working with you on that very important issue. Also, one of our former colleagues senator mike johans was an outstanding secretary and he visited north dakota on several occasions, and i want to ask if in fact you would be good enough to show up to visit our farmers and ranchers in north dakota who do a great job and we would love to see you. What is the record, senator . I dont know, but you will have to surpass his record. Okay. I look forward to that. And can you talk about the coalition that we have to pass to work for all of our p producers . Yes, in working with you all, and you working on behalf of the constituent, i believe that we can. There is a great progress made in the 14 farm bill. We have a couple of areas that felt left out, and we have talked about those today, and we can get ahead of that. It is even more critical today in the light of the Commodity Prices<\/a> and where they are that we get a safety net not only for the producers, but also the consumers in going forward. That is a challenge that i look forward to, to work with you all, and in providing the resources and enabling you to get a farm bill that is embraced by american ingagriculture. But you agree it takes the north south coalition to get it done. And the nutrition people as well. And you are going on with the answer, answer, but the heart and soul is boiling down to the cyclical arc and that we strongly support the crop Risk Management<\/a>. And do you agree that and see it as a part of it . Yes, a well managed, and well design and well administered program in that gives farmers confidence. In talking about the importance of ag research, and the importance of trade, and ag research is making a difference in the crops that we can grow, disease resistance, and the yields that lead to profitability, and talk about your willingness, and go back to the budget issues as well, and the commitment to ag research. It is interesting to talk about hightech manufacturing, and i would submit to the president , and anyone that our Agricultural Sector<\/a> who has been the highest tech for several year, and the Phenomenal Growth<\/a> in activity and inputs, and less water, and better management, and better soil preservation, and they have actually phen phenomenal, and the basis of that, and the good basic research, and the land grant universities and others and but the transmission of that information to services as well. Are you willing to support the Sugar Program<\/a> . I have as i mentioned earlier, and i think that you have all certainly done a good job in the Sugar Program<\/a> as well as those who grow the beats as well as the cain. They have come together in with a unified front. And talk to me about trade, because it looks like we are in a new era of how to do trade. Clearly, the administration likes the bilart ral agreements over the larger Group Agreements<\/a> with which can work, but it is important to continue to press the trade issue, and how do you do that as ag secretary leading the world in agriculture . Speedily is the answer, because our farmers can not wait long. The ttp had been around and negotiated, but the bilateral takes time, and we need to get act the business of selling u. S. Products. If confirmed, my first stop will be at mr. Lighthousers office door, and we have discussed some of it, and he indicated that 80 of what he had heard had been about agriculture, and so it is good news, and we have to get on it. And obviously, with the background so strong in agriculture across the board, but clearly the knowledge of background of trade is going to be very important in to a lead player in negotiating the agreements. Thank you, senator. Thank you for being here and your willingness to serve. I remember well back in 1918, when senator Joseph France<\/a> that became a member of the committee is a good man, and very willing and able to work with 99 years later later, we have the benefit of senator van holland to come from maryland to join us on the agriculture committee. Welcome, sir. Thank you, mr. Chairman, and thank you for noting that. Very proud of the fact that im the first maryland senator to serve on this committee since back in 1922, i believe. That is when he entered the service, but he began in 1918. Governor, it is great to see you and i enjoy the conversation as well. I wanted to pick up oun one of the things that we talked about, the Chesapeake Bay<\/a>, which is a national treasure, and it is also vital to the economy in the state of maryland and having a healthy and clean bay both for the watermen and the people who get the bounty of the bay, and the oysters and the crabs which many people enjoy to the tourism industry, and where people to the bay, because of the beauty and the boating industry, and what we have worked in maryland to do is work closely with the farmers to make sure that we have a vibrant farming industry on the Eastern Shore<\/a> of maryland along with a healthy bay. And the so the conversation p programs are very important to our state and the bay states as many others, and in the 2008 farm bill that i worked very closely with the Ranking Member<\/a>s, and others to create a Chesapeake Bay<\/a> program, that is popular, and other states were understandably interested and it became the conversation program, and the conversation efforts quickly went to the conservation programs, and my question is do you agree that they are important programs that we have in place that we need to continue . Senator, i certainly agree, because we cannot continue the progress that has been made in the Chesapeake Bay<\/a>, and you have articulated what a vital resource it is nationally and certainly for the people who live in the water shed and that body of water for so many reason s, but i dont believe that you can continue the progress that has been made and much to the credit of the farmers and thing a agri visitors can learn about is the runoff of phosphorous and the continuing national nrcs there to where we could continue that program. So i certainly hope that we will be able to, and even increase in continuing the progress. I appreciate that. As you indicated, we have worked on a cooperative relationship with the farmers in connection with this particular program. As stewards of the land, it is important to have a good working and cooperative relationship which we have had. And i want to say as a number of senators have raised a proposed budget cut to the loan grant program, and ilessened carefully when the chairman of our Committee Said<\/a> that the president proposes, and the congress disposes, and it is great to have the chairman of the Appropriations Committee<\/a> here, and the chairman of the Sub Committee<\/a> here, and so we will hopefully work to make sure that we address those issues. I will tell you that 15 of marylands 24 counties would be in really tough positions if they dont get the benefit of those loans. I also say that i look forward to working with the chairman of the appropriations budget of the epa and the trump proposal wipes out the epa program which had bipartisan support in the state, and i wanted to flag that. And senator donnelly and others talked about the Crop Insurance<\/a> and dealing with the risk. In maryland, most of the farms are small and mediumsized and especially with the respect to the specialty crops. Some of the way that Crop Insurance<\/a> is currently designed, it does not fully meet the needs. And so i want to meet with you to explore some of the ways that we could address some of the needs of the smaller to mediumsized farms. And by the way, i appreciate your express to be on this committee, and the value to maryland, and most people dont realize that, but the 14 farm bill recognized the need of Crop Insurance<\/a>, and specialty crops in many ways. And that is a beginning but can we go further . Yes. What we learned from the 14 farm bill, and continue to enhance it, and make smaller and specialty crops of the particularly smaller farmers a viable alternative for them. And finally on the food and nutrition programs, i want to add my voice to our senators who have said how important it is to the states. And finally, mr. Chairman, we have in maryland a 1990 land grand hbcu on the Eastern Shore<\/a> that is doing the innovative work, and you know that the hbcus have been facing increased challenges including maintenance funds, and i know that you have worked this and i would like to have your commitment to follow up on strengthening those 18 or 19 h bshgs krshbcus. And we have them in georgia as well, and i was glad to see the president welcome them as well. So i look forward to regarding your specific hcbu. And we have a particular can challenge and issue with one of the hcbu 1890, so thank you. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, thank you. And governor, welcome. Nice to see you again, and my colleagues dont know but during the secretary thes designees time he spent time in lockburn and so i am always happy to know that you will put iowa behind us [ laughter ] and some of the great lakes apply to the inish initiative and the president has cut it almost 100 , and that is loud crouse, and senator portman and i are on the great lake states, and the irony is that it won him the election, and im old enough to remember senator stabenow is not old enough, but i remember what they looked like as a kid, and it is one of the greatest accomplishments of government and communities, and it is for the federal government to clean it up and we cant backslide. I would emphasize the imer pors and the, and great lake s s is largest collection of fresh water in the world, and Chesapeake Bay<\/a> is even fresher water. I object. You can object, but he is a a new member, and so he cannot object. And also, i want to emphasize and thank, chairman roberts, his comments about ag and nutrition and the farm bill holding it together when there are pressures to divide it. I know that the gov nar has supported it, but thank you, chairman robert, about that and the statements of van holland on the historically black college, because it is really, really important, and i wanted to have central state in my state, and particularly important, and i nknow that you have worked with georgias hbhbcu. And if you could give us thoughts briefly because the time is coming. And what specifically, what plan dos you plan to give in support of the universities . I was pleased to welcome them, and commit to do that and as you are referring to fort valley state there in the adjacent county, and we know this work they do as a land grant university, and the niche programs there in the state. And i look forward and they have a value to serve. And i look forward to helping them with the research providing, and you know, asking them for particular projects with the research, and allow the usda to compete, and to listen and learn from them, and as well as they can provide good information for us in areas in which they operate. I appreciate the sensitive toy the historically black colleges unlike the soon to be colleague in the cabinet who said they were about choice or something when it came to the black college, and it is a rather peculiar statement, but it is not you. And senator donnelly mentioned opioids, and my state has more opioids deaths than anybody else in the country, and if they repeal the Affordable Care<\/a> act or 200,000, and right now, 200,000 ohioans who are getting the opioid Addiction Treatment<\/a> on the Affordable Care<\/a> act and that is not your issue, exactly, although it is your partys issue, and the president s issue, and i ask that if something happens, and that insurance is taken away as it would be with the house bill, for all of those people who have opioid addictions and getting treatment, i would ask you if you would go back to the omb and the white house to protect the funding used in the battle ga s against opioid addiction in rural ohio and Rural America<\/a>. I am not sure that you were here with the great conversation with congressman vilsack and the imput of the sad situation of opioid, and most of this is in the rural areas of despair. So i am an advocate for the bertment of the usda a does not have the capacity to supplant everything in health care, but it does have the opportunity to help in that regard, and i would with welcome doing that. And that is again, why, my republican governor and my other colleague in the senate, senator portman have both expressed great concern about the Affordable Care<\/a> act and what would happy to medicaid. 700,000 ohioans are on medicaid, and expansion level, and it is am a maizing to me that a bunch of us in the body who get governmentsupported insurance, and the taxpayers subsidize our health insurance, and people in this body and other body want to take away the insurance for a whole lot of low income working people, and those are the Medicaid Expansion<\/a> people, and i needed to say that, because it is a big part of the opioid picture. And i know that you are getting impatient, mr. Chairman, but i worked with congressman thune in the arc and that protects with the unforeseen declines when the prices are low or for production low because of the unforeseen circumstances that people have a safety net that, farmers have a safety net, and the administrations Budget Proposal<\/a> included sharp cuts to the ag service, and so that raises questions of whether they can collect the unbiased and yield data so that a. R. C. Can be implemented with the right information. 1 in 5 in my state depends on agriculture. And now e that your specialty ist not with the Ranking Member<\/a> and the senators in my state know that, but we want to know that you will work with us and use your authorities to make shure that a, we can find ways o carry out the a. R. C. , the ag risk coverage program, and second part that question with short terms assistance with the Dairy Farmers<\/a> and you mentioned them briefly, but i needs asurances there. And yes, is sure. The second only take it first, we have done that, and the farmers have to rely upon the credibility of the. Independent data to assess that, because the a. R. C. And the l. R. C. Will demand it on and move the market, and so that is a critical part of the usda and i will support it to the best of my ability. And governor, you can tell your children, and grandchildren that your on confirmation hearing was in the caucus of the titan tick hearings, and the jfk hearings, and the mccarthy hearings were all in this area, and if your children or grandchildren are here, you can tell them. I think that you told them, senator. Thank you. Senator stabenow. Thank you, mr. Chairman, i wanted to indicate, because we have a vote coming and you are about to wrap up. But i have additional questions to submit for the record as well as the letter that i referenced earlier regarding the darery, and i would like for those to be placed into the record, and thank you very much. All right. All members should understand that they can submit letters for record. I want to mention the fact that the committee has receive ad number of letters in support of your nomination, and one from merely 700 organizations across the ing a ri kagriculture, and chain, as well as one from six former u. S. Secretaries of agriculture representing both democrat and republican president s. And governor purdue, thank you for your consideration to be k secretary of agriculture. This committee has a history of working in a bipartisan fashion as this hear hag as demonstrated as opposed to others going on in this senate while crafting legislation and nomination. And as you know, we will not vote on the nomination today, but we will be working for business meeting asap for a committee vote. Again, i ask the members to submit Additional Information<\/a> for the reck, and by 5 00 tomorrow, and in addition it will be remaining open for five more days for additional statements and materials. Thank you to everyone for your time to dday. And the young man in the red tie who is seeming anxious to leave. Two red ties here. We got you, man. We are adjourned. Thank you, mr. Chairman. [ laughter ] this weekend on American History<\/a> tv on cspan3, this saturday on 8 00 p. M. On lectures and history, shefford University Professor<\/a> talking about stereotypes of americans in appalachian, and how the stereotypes have changed over time. And far from the inbreds and the lower mountaineer possessed a easy unaffected bearing and the unselfish manners of the well bred. That is sunday at 6 00 p. M. On american ar a ti facts, and senior curator will lead a tour of the world war i memorial in kansas city, kansas. Probably one of the most interesting regimens who were known as the Harlem Hellfighters<\/a> and the fighting rattlesnakes. They were fighting along a river to establish their reputation there has incredible fighters. And sunday Jeffrey Rosen<\/a> and historians will talk about prohibition and the reasons for the movement and the repeal. And they had year to come to reorient, and amazingly, because of the way that the amendment was written, you could purchase as much alcohol as the year before, and then you could store it. So they did very good sales leading up to prohibition, and a lot of the basements become very full. At 8 00 on the presidency. Former Nixon Administration<\/a> officials discussing the 37th president s post white house years. J he said it in the east room speech, it is always a beginning, always, and that this whole post president ial period is an exemplar of nixon resilience and spirit and dedication and patriotism. For the complete American History<\/a> tv schedule, go to cspan. Org. Saturday, book tv is live from the 23rd annual virginia festival of the book in charlottesville. Our Programming Panel<\/a> will include a discussion on english language with arthur rubin who has written going to hell in a hand basket. And that is followed by the ar of this nagasaki. And then at 2 00 p. M. , a discussion of prohibition with author alfred means. And that is followed by a Panel Discussion<\/a> at 4 00 p. M. On the media with mark fisher, and michael kradish with their book trump reveal. And tom nickels with the death of pexer tease. And frank s. E. C. Nshesno with and april ryan the presidency in black and white. Make sure you watch the virginia fes val of the book on cspan book tv","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia804702.us.archive.org\/29\/items\/CSPAN3_20170324_130900_Sonny_Perdue_Answers_Questions_About_Trade_and_Threats_to_Food_Security\/CSPAN3_20170324_130900_Sonny_Perdue_Answers_Questions_About_Trade_and_Threats_to_Food_Security.thumbs\/CSPAN3_20170324_130900_Sonny_Perdue_Answers_Questions_About_Trade_and_Threats_to_Food_Security_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240627T12:35:10+00:00"}