United Fresh President and CEO Tom Stenzel released a statement on former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's appointment as Secretary of Agriculture in a press release.
“We congratulate Governor Perdue on his selection as the next Secretary of Agriculture," Stenzel said. "We have high regards for this past work with our Georgia fruit and vegetable industry, and are confident he will bring a passion and commitment to supporting agriculture, and helping us deliver healthy foods to all Americans. We anticipate meeting with Governor Perdue soon, and working with him on critical issues such as securing an adequate workforce through immigration reform and a new guest worker program, bolstering free and fair trade, serving the neediest Americans through federal feeding programs, and more."
Last week, President Donald Trump selected former Perdue as his Secretary of Agriculture. Perdue, 70, is the son of a farmer and ran garden supply and farming company. He was governor of Georgia from 2003-2011. In his new position, Perdue will head a department of around 100,000 employees, around $140 billion in funding and he'll play a major role in the next Farm Bill debate. The Farm Bill, which is up for reauthorization in 2018, funds many of the federal government's agriculture programs. The Trump administration is on record saying that the bill needs to be revamped.
Perdue has yet to be officially confirmed by Congress.
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