Perdue Addresses Rural Development, Budget and More With Lawmakers

Support for the McGovern-Dole and Food for Peace programs was expressed by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue in his appearance at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee session, an apparent break with the Trump administration's Fiscal 2018 budget that proposed ending the McGovern-Dole effort specifically.“I've admitted certainly on research and development, on rural development, on crop insurance and I think on this area, where I think the budget can benefit from some guidance,” Perdue said. He signaled he was asking "proving questions" on the effectiveness of the administration of the program, something the budget document raised questions about in terms of why they opted to propose eliminating funding for the effort.The recent reorganization by Perdue of USDA's structure, to put a USDA Undersecretary for Trade in place at the expense of the Undersecretary for Rural Development, has also been a hot-button item with some lawmakers and groups. If the plan doesn't work, Perdue told lawmakers, he'd gladly put an Undersecretary for Rural Development in place if the new farm bill orders that to happen."If I don't make you proud of what we do with rural development over the next year, I'll be happy to have another undersecretary for rural development directed by the [2018] farm bill," Perdue stated.USDA named Anne Hazlett, former chief counsel to the majority on the Senate Agriculture Committee, to the newly created position of assistant to the secretary for rural development Monday while there were still two days to go in the comment period on Perdue's reorganization plan.