Dive Brief:
- Sonny Perdue, President Trump’s Agriculture Secretary nominee, promised farm-state senators in both parties he would strongly promote agricultural trade and create jobs in the struggling industry at his confirmation hearing Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
- The former Georgia governor stressed bipartisanship during his confirmation hearing and said he would be a “tenacious advocate and fighter” for rural America when dealing with the White House and other agencies.
- Perdue is the son of a farmer and has owned several agricultural companies in his lifetime.
Dive Insight:
At his hearing on Thursday, Perdue voiced strong support for international agricultural trade. This included trade with numerous markets, including Cuba.
Perdue stressed how he’d be a voice in Trump’s cabinet to advocate for more trade. The former governor has a record of championing agricultural trade, having worked to expand his state's exports during his time in office.
"Food is a noble thing to trade," Perdue said during the hearing.
The problem is that Trump has not had a great early record as far as trade goes. In the first two months of his presidency, Trump has said he preferred to seek bilateral trade deals rather than multilateral ones. He withdrew from the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership and is hoping to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
U.S. farmers rely heavily on exporting their goods to other countries and are banking on Trump’s anti-trade policies to include some exceptions for agriculture. There’s nothing to suggest that’s a given, though — even though farm exports have been increasing for the past eight years and were projected to be worth $134 billion this year, according to the USDA. Food and agricultural groups have lobbied Trump to ensure their interests are protected in Asia-Pacific trade, as well as in a modernization of NAFTA.
What Perdue has in his favor is that he has friends on both sides of the aisle. As one of the Trump administration's less controversial nominees, he may have the ability to persuade some strong bipartisan cooperation in making some noteworthy changes.