The Senate Agriculture Committee likely won’t have a hearing on Sonny Perdue’s nomination until mid-to-late February. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says it’ll take that long for Perdue’s financial disclosures to be analyzed in case of potential conflicts of interest and to finish an FBI background check. Financial disclosure paperwork questions have led to delays in the confirmation of other Cabinet nominees, including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Perdue’s financial statements from his run for Georgia governor in 2006 show he was worth about $6 million and his businesses about $2.8 million. He is a founder of Perdue Partner’s LLC, a global trading firm that helps companies to export ag products like grains, nuts, produce, and alcohol, in addition to industrial supplies, pet food, and cosmetics. He’s also owned several grain-and-feed-processing and transportation companies.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.