Duckworth meets with Agriculture Secretary Nominee Sonny Perdue

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met yesterday with former Governor Sonny Perdue, the nominee to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). B-roll of yesterday’s meeting is available here and a photo of yesterday’s meeting is available here. Following the meeting, Senator Duckworth released the following statement:

"Governor Perdue and I had a substantive conversation on subjects ranging from the importance of Illinois agriculture to the strength of our nation to how we can help Veterans enter or return to farming so they can work the land they fought to protect," said Senator Duckworth. "If confirmed, I hope that Governor Perdue will support key programs like SNAP, expand access to broadband and maintain investments in renewable energy. I also hope Governor Perdue will help our nation’s continued expansion of trade with Cuba so American businesses and farmers in Illinois can benefit. I invited Governor Perdue to visit some of Illinois’s corn and soybean farms with me so he can witness firsthand the essential role Midwestern farmers play in the state economy and our nation’s economy at large.”

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides millions of children and families with critical support to curb domestic hunger. Senator Duckworth has been a long-time supporter of the SNAP program and worked as a member of the House of Representatives to ensure SNAP has the resources it needs to provide low-income families with access to essential nutrition.  

The Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) is a $100 million grant program designed to increase the sale and production of biofuels by investing in the infrastructure needed to make more biofuel options available. This competitive grant program, administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, matches funds for state-led efforts to develop innovative approaches to market higher blends of renewable fuels like E15 and E85. BIP remains one of the largest E-85/E-15 infrastructure programs ever announced by the USDA.  

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