President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agriculture department will face Senate confirmation hearings on Thursday.
Sonny Perdue was the last cabinet secretary nomination Trump announced more than two months ago.
Some senators have said one reason it’s taken so long for confirmation hearings is that Perdue had to unravel himself from many agribusiness dealings in order to comply with financial disclosure and ethics requirements.
The agriculture department has nearly 100,000 employees and includes a wide range of programs from the forest service and animal disease monitoring to food stamps, farm subsidies and conservation. Despite the delays, observers predict a smooth confirmation.