USDA-Nominee Sonny Perdue Comments on Lawmaker Questions

USDA-nominee Sonny Perdue wants to establish a USDA Undersecretary for Trade, based on his responses to questions submitted for the record by members of the Senate Agriculture Committee.Perdue said he will request that a plan for implementing the new trade post be developed and would report that to Congress. The former Georgia governor promised Sen. Steve Daines, R,. Mont., that he would fill the position as quickly as possible. Former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack worked against the position, which was mandated in the 2014 Farm Bill, warning Congress it would be a complicated move to consolidate under one mission area the department's varied international trade activities.Grassley raised approval of new biotechnology traits for grains with Perdue. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R., Iowa, brought up frequent delays in other countries' — including China's — approval of new biotechnology traits for grain crops, and asked USDA Secretary-nominee Sonny Perdue what he would do to streamline the process so farmers can have the best technology as soon as possible. Perdue said he will "insist that USDA be more aggressive in supporting advancements in biotech."On possible administrative changes to US cotton program. Sen. John Boozman, R., Ark., said he thinks there are "policy adjustments" that can be made ahead of the 2018 Farm Bill to help cotton producers who are struggling with low commodity prices. He was referring to actions that former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said he did not have the authority to carry out. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R., Texas,requested that Vilsack designate cottonseed as an "other oilseed" so growers could receive subsidies from two programs in the farm bill (Price Loss Coverage or Agricultural Risk Coverage) — a fix that Vilsack said would have to be made by Congress."If confirmed, I will have USDA review the authority of the secretary to make changes to cotton programs, as well as explore other potential solutions to help cotton producers, consistent with budget limitations," Perdue said in written answers to lawmaker questions. Congressional sources say that language will likely be included in a forthcoming spending bill to deal with the cotton safety net issue.