Sonny Perdue
FILE – In this Aug. 30, 2018, file photo, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue speaks during a roundtable discussion at Landus Cooperative in Ames, Iowa. The Trump administration on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, lifted a roadblock to copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota. The land is part of the Superior National Forest, controlled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which canceled the withdrawal Thursday, saying its review revealed no new scientific information. And the agency said interested companies may soon be able to sign mineral leases in the area. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)