Sen. David Perdue ribs cousin, U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, at GOP fish fry

President Donald Trump had one of the longest waits in recent history to fill his cabinet, which apparently emptied the cupboards of a U.S. senator.

Although former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue was tapped as Trump’s nominee for agriculture secretary on Jan. 18, he wasn’t confirmed until more than two months later.

Perdue, who grew up on a Houston County farm and became a veterinarian, had a friendly hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on March 23.

His cousin, Georgia’s junior senator David Perdue, serves on that panel but had little to say during the two and a half hour meeting, except to wish his first cousin good luck.

Although Sen. Perdue abstained from voting on the March 30 confirmation, he had plenty to say about Sonny at the Aug. 26 GOP Fish Fry at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry.

The senator said he opened up his Washington, D.C.-area home to his cousin during the nearly nine-week confirmation process.

He said he was telling his colleagues on Capitol Hill to step it up.

“He’s eating me out of house and home,” he said.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Sen. David Perdue ribs cousin, U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, at GOP fish fry."