Freshly sworn in as Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue addressed employees at the USDA Tuesday morning. Perdue was sworn in by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, and then spoke to USDA employees before heading to the White House for a round table with farmers. He told USDA employees the department is a meaningful agency.

Perdue promised a facts and science first approach by the agency, focusing on transparency, ethics and customer service. Perdue was eager to get to work at USDA, ditching his coat and tie and rolling up his sleeves during his speech.

Following the speech, Perdue attended a farmer round table and executive order signing at the White House.