The US Department of Agriculture has officially confirmed former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue as its secretary, but the department’s communications field is barren.
Of the 13 positions listed on the USDA’s “media communications coordination” site, only four appear to be filled. The remaining positions, which include director of the office of communications and communications coordinator for “cross-department initiatives” like rural poverty and climate change, are simply marked on the site as “vacant.”
It’s unclear how long the positions in the communications department have been left open, but a number of government department positions remain unfilled more than three months since President Donald Trump took office. Perdue was first nominated to head the USDA in January; however, Trump has yet to submit a name for nomination for a deputy secretary at the department.
The USDA Twitter account does remain active though, providing followers with departmental information.
CNN has reached out to USDA for comment but, perhaps unsurprisingly, has not yet received a response.