Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perude has announced that religious liberty and freedom of speech are a priority in the office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Perdue’s office issued a statement earlier this week after sending a policy memo to all USDA employees.
“Today, I want to reestablish this Department’s commitment to safeguarding every American’s First Amendment rights, particularly the right to free speech and the right to religious free exercise. USDA is committed to protecting both,” he said in the memo.
In his memo, Perdue also touched on mutual respect and tolerance. From the press release:
“I expect each and every USDA employee to uphold their fellow Americans’ First Amendment freedoms. Whether we are inspecting private businesses for compliance with food safety laws or protecting our public lands for recreation, cultivation, and preservation, we must set the example of our nation’s highest ideals. These are lessons we learned as children – that we should be kind to others and treat them with respect. Doing so is not optional, and it is not discretionary.”
Perdue’s initiative follows Trump’s Executive Order last week on ‘Promoting Free Speech and Relgious Liberty.‘
You can read Secretary Perdue’s entire statement here.