Augusta University Health Systems to Potentially Join Wellstar Health System

Augusta University Health System (AUHS) announced Tuesday the signing of a letter of intent to join Wellstar Health System. The potential deal would join the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), the state’s only public medical school, with one of the largest safety net hospital operators in Georgia.

“This is good news for the Augusta region and for health care across our state. It means more doctors and medical service providers, more options for health care, and greater innovation in this field are coming to Georgia communities,” Governor Brian Kemp tweeted after the AUHS announcement.

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Vice President Pence Hosts Defend the Majority Rally in Augusta, Stumping for Senators Perdue and Loeffler

Vice President Mike Pence hosted a “Defend the Majority” rally in Augusta, Georgia, gathering a crowd of 500 on a Thursday. The vice president stumped for incumbent Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in their bid to win re-election in the upcoming runoff election.

The rally occurred at Augusta Regional Airport in the early afternoon. Perdue was in attendance though Loeffler was absent – the latter senator was attending the funeral of her campaign staffer.

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Trump Administration Looks to Remove Ineligible People from Food Stamp Rolls

by Whitney Tipton   The United States Department of Agriculture proposed Monday eliminating a loophole in food stamp eligibility requirements that would cut 3.1 million people from the program and save $2.5 billion. Those who receive temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) will not longer be automatically eligible to get food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the rule is enacted, according to the USDA. “Some states are taking advantage of loopholes that allow people to receive the SNAP benefits who would otherwise not qualify and for which they are not entitled,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, according to Reuters. The USDA wants to change the current rule in 43 states that make TANF recipients automatically eligible for SNAP benefits. Instead, TANF recipients must apply for SNAP and submit to a review of their assets and income to determine if they are qualified. The proposed rule is expected to result in removing 3.1 million people from the program, according to the USDA. It will also result in a cost savings of $2.5 billion, the agency said. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the change could save the federal government $8.1 over the next 10 years. Trump tried…

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Commentary: USDA Workers, Kansas City Is Better Than You Think

by Joshua Sharf   On Thursday, a gaggle of civil servants protested the proposed relocation of a couple of Agriculture Department bureaus from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City, Missouri by boldly turning their backs on a speech delivered by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Perdue announced that the Economic Research Service, which provides research and statistical analysis for lawmakers, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which allocates federal research funding, would be moving most of their personnel and operations by the end of September. These employees have had a year either to make peace or make plans, but instead, they decided to wait until the final announcement to purse their lips, cross their arms, and stare off into space. Clearly, the USDA has been violating child labor laws by hiring toddlers. Watch CNN’s reporting of the incident: The long-haired guy in the middle is holding his breath until he matches his shirt color, and the man in the plaid shirt to his right looks like he’s auditioning for the Actor’s Studio. The bald fellow to the left doesn’t look entirely committed to the cause. You would think Perdue is exiling these people to a remote outpost in Greenland. It…

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USDA Workers Turn Backs to Sonny Perdue After Announcing Relocation from D.C. to Kansas City

  American Federation of Government Employees turned their backs on Agricultural Secretary Sonny Perdue Thursday while he spoke after the USDA announced its plan to relocate workers from Washington D.C. to the Kansas City region. Perdue announced the same day the reason for moving the Department of Agriculture’s research agencies – the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture – was to be closer to prominent farming areas, according to Politico. “Following a rigorous site selection process, the Kansas City Region provides a win-win: maximizing our mission function by putting taxpayer savings into programmatic outputs and providing affordability, easy commutes, and extraordinary living for our employees,” Perdue said. American Federation of Government Employees members from NIFA snd ERS turn backs on Agriculture Secretary Perdue at session on their unwanted relocation from DC to Kansas City area. #USDA pic.twitter.com/40JlVtuXFl — Jerry Hagstrom (@hagstromreport) June 13, 2019 The USDA believes Kansas City is the “hub” of the agricultural industry, and the move will save taxpayers money. The government agency believes it can save “nearly $300 million nominally over a 15-year lease term on employment costs.” These predicted savings will allow for funding of critical agricultural areas, according to…

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USDA Moves Staff Out of D.C., Ohio Tea Party Say It’s a Good Start

  The We the People Convention, an Ohio-based tea party organization, urged President Donald Trump to move more federal agencies out of Washington, D.C. after news broke that his administration was planning to move offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of the swamp. “I have long believed that President Trump should make a campaign pledge for his 2020 re-election campaign that would really ‘Drain the Swamp.’ That pledge would be to move nearly all federal agencies out of D.C.,” said Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention. The comments came in response to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s plan to move two department offices outside the beltway, which caused staffers to quit en masse. “Why are we taxpayers paying ridiculous Washington, D.C. inflated salaries to these bureaucrats most of whom we don’t even need? It’s because the D.C. swamp is all about growing and concentrating its power within our government not to serve us, but to rule over us,” Zawistowski said. He suggested that the only federal agencies that should remain in Washington are “the military and perhaps intelligence agencies.” “Every other agency, Education, FBI, Treasury, Labor, DOJ, HUD, etc., all need to be dispersed into…

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Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Pushes Back on ‘Sensational Reporting’ of Food Inspections Being Stopped

by Michael Bastasch   Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue pushed back on what he called “sensational reporting” that the government shutdown had put a halt to food inspections. “Want to calm some fears because of somewhat sensational reporting on the shutdown,” Perdue said in a tweet Friday in response to alarming headlines, including those from The New York Times and NBC News, over food inspections halting during the government shutdown. “[USDA] inspectors are still at work, checking meat, poultry & processed eggs. Inspectors also screening for pests at export & import points, incl between Hawaii & Puerto Rico and mainland,” Perdue tweeted. Want to calm some fears because of somewhat sensational reporting on the shutdown. @USDAFoodSafety inspectors are still at work, checking meat, poultry & processed eggs. Inspectors also screening for pests at export & import points, incl between Hawaii & Puerto Rico and mainland. — Sec. Sonny Perdue (@SecretarySonny) January 11, 2019 Perdue is referring to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which oversees about 20 percent of U.S. food production. Those inspectors have continued to work without pay while the government is shut down. The federal government has been partially shut down for 21 days. The wave of alarming…

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Bowling Green Schools Among Those Cheering Efforts To Make School Lunches Great Again

  Gone are the rigid regulations for school lunches championed by former first lady Michelle Obama. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has other ideas in his quest to “Make School Meals Great Again,” as touted in a May 1 news release. “This announcement is the result of years of feedback from students, schools, and food service experts about the challenges they are facing in meeting the final regulations for school meals,” Perdue said in the news release. “If kids aren’t eating the food, and it’s ending up in the trash, they aren’t getting any nutrition – thus undermining the intent of the program.” There will still be a focus on nutrition, including serving fruits and veggies, but pressure will ease up on using only whole grains and a push to lower sodium levels is on hold. There also will be more options for milk. Schools in Bowling Green, Kentucky, are celebrating the changes. Gina Howard, who oversees Warren County Public Schools’ food service, told the Bowling Green Daily News that her district has met the stringent requirements but has had problems making the food appealing to children. Kim Simpson, food service director for the Bowling Green Independent School District, sees improvements ahead…

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Agriculture Secretary Says Trump Won’t Focus On Deporting Illegal Farm Workers

President Donald Trump will not focus on deporting farm workers, even if they are illegal, according to the new Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Agriculture groups have expressed concern that Trump’s immigration policies could cause food prices to rise and threaten the stability of farms. Perdue, who took office Tuesday, suggested that the president is open to…

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Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue Among Evangelicals In Trump Administration

Tennessee Star

  President Trump swept into office with a broad base of evangelical support and he has made sure that evangelicals find positions in his administration. Among them is former Republican governor of Georgia Sonny Perdue, who was sworn in as secretary of agriculture on Tuesday. A veterinarian by training, Perdue has a background in agribusiness and was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Perdue has said he believes God has called him to his cabinet post. He is a member of Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins, Georgia, where his son Jim Perdue is the pastor and where he has served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. The church plans to hold a worship service commissioning the elder Perdue and his wife Mary to their new field of service, Baptist Press reports. “When people ask him, ‘How can we pray for you?’ one of his first responses is, ‘Pray for my obedience.’ He wants to be obedient,” Jim Perdue told Baptist Press, adding that’s what he believes led his father to accept Trump’s nomination. When Perdue was nominated in January, rounding out Trump’s cabinet picks, Charisma News reflected on what once would have seemed an unlikely scenario. “Two years ago,…

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