Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced this week that the chamber will vote on former Governor Sonny Perdue’s nomination for Secretary of Agriculture on April 24, after lawmakers return from their two-week Easter recess that begins today. Senate leaders scheduled Perdue’s confirmation vote this week after Democrats blocked action on Perdue’s confirmation, preventing him from assuming office before the recess.
The Senate this week has been consumed with debate on a filibuster and the confirmation vote for Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch. Perdue, the former Georgia Governor, was the last cabinet member nominated by President Trump. He was first tapped on January 19, the day before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Many ag groups are frustrated by the delay in Perdue’s confirmation.
Perdue has garnered considerable bipartisan support. In a sign of how relatively noncontroversial Perdue’s nomination is, the full Senate will not be taking any procedural votes on his confirmation. The one up-or-down vote will require 51 votes, not 60. The confirmation vote will take place the day the Senate returns from recess but before it delves into what is expected to be a rancorous debate over a must-pass government spending bill.
