On April 24, the U.S. Senate confirmed former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture by a vote of 87 to 11, and on April 25, 2017, he became the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture. Perdue, 70, grew up on a dairy farm and holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. President Donald Trump nominated Perdue in January. The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on Perdue on March 23, and favorably voted him out of the Committee on March 30.

The U.S. Senate approved a bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act to require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish and administer a national disclosure standard for bioengineered foods within two years of enactment. Significantly, the bill includes preemption of conflicting state laws.