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Brooke Rollins testifies before Senate ag committeeBrooke Rollins testifies before Senate ag committee

President Trump’s agriculture secretary nominee lays out USDA priories, sidesteps tough questions during Senate confirmation hearing.

Joshua Baethge, Policy Editor

January 23, 2025

6 Min Read
Brooke Rollins getting sworn in
USDA LEADER INCOMING: Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump's nominee to be agriculture secretary, is sworn in during her Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen building on Jan. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.Getty Images/Kayla Bartkowski

Brooke Rollins was still smiling after nearly four hours of testimony before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. President Trump’s agriculture secretary nominee charmed senators from both parties on her way to what is shaping up to be a smooth confirmation.

Committee Republicans universally praised her for her agriculture roots and government experience. While Democrats offered some pointed questions, their exchanges with Rollins remained mostly cordial, if not downright friendly.

Flanked by a large contingent of family and friends, Rollins described the experience of sitting before the committee as “a little surreal and slightly overwhelming.”  Throughout the proceeding, Rollins and others referenced her ties to Texas A&M University, where she graduated in 1994. At one point, Rollins revealed she was in a motorhome traveling to an Aggie game against Auburn when Trump asked her to lead USDA.

Laying out key priorities

During her opening remarks, Rollins said all Americans are important, but the farmer, the worker of the land who feeds all the others, is among the most notable.

“Thomas Jefferson wrote that ‘agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will,’” she said, pausing briefly to confirm she got the quote right. “’…because it will, in the end, contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.’”

Related:Senate ag committee unanimously advances Rollins nomination

That wisdom, she says, still holds true today. Rollins went on to detail her four top priories if confirmed to lead USDA. She vowed to ensure disaster and economic assistance recently authorized by Congress is deployed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Secondly, she would work with USDA, ag stakeholders and state officials to address animal disease outbreaks.

“Third, we must immediately begin to modernize, realign, rethink the United States Department of Agriculture, responding to the clear need and the desires of the American people as set forth so well by the president of the United States over this last historic week,” Rollins says. “And finally, and longer term, we understand that serving all American agriculture and all the American people means ensuring that our rural communities are equipped and supported to prosper, not just today, but tomorrow, and the day after that and the many tomorrows to come.”

She says that includes improving world development programs, demanding strong and steady domestic and export markets, and eliminating “burdensome and costly” regulations. Rollins also advocated for “effective and efficient” nutrition programs and ensuring a healthy and prepared next generation. She added that she was committed to providing any assistance needed to advance a farm bill.

Related:Live updates: Trump tariffs bring economic uncertainty to farm country

Echoing a priority of Trump and many Senate Republicans, Rollins said she fully supported the president’s executive order to bring remote USDA workers back into the office. She also said she would support efforts to overturn California Proposition 12.

Regarding potential tariffs on key trading partners, Rollins told Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., that Trump understands they could have a “potentially devastating impact” on farmers and ranchers. Still, she acknowledged Trump considers tariffs to be a “very important tool in the toolkit” to ensure a thriving economy.

Rollins relayed that she had spoken to former Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue about how previous tariffs were managed during Trump’s first term. That included nearly $28 billion in emergency payments to farmers from USDA.

Without offering specifics, Rollins says she would direct USDA to execute “something similar” if she’s confirmed.

Affirming ethanol support

While there has not been much public opposition to Rollin’s nomination, there have been concerns about her tenure at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Between 2003 and 2018 when she was president and CEO, the TPPF endorsed multiple reports critical of ethanol. At least one went as far as to call it a national security threat.

Related:Trump tariffs bring economic uncertainty to farm country

When asked by Ranking Committee Member Amy Klobuchar, D- Minn., about her position on biofuels, Rollins said the pieces in question were written more than a decade ago, and not authored by her. She acknowledged she has been a “massive defender” of fossil fuels but committed to defending and elevating all sources of fuel. She added that Trump’s energy plan also includes biofuels as a key component.

When pressed by Klobuchar on her family’s financial ties to fossil fuels, Rollins said she never has, and never will, make a decision based on her own financial interests.

Non-committal on divisive issues

On multiple occasions, Democrats asked Rollins if she would commit to not cutting nutrition programs. She consistently reiterated her support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other nutrition programs but would not rule out funding cuts. She also declined to offer a position on additional work requirements for SNAP recipients. When asked specifically about the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC, Rollins said she would need to study the program more before offering an opinion.

As for how she would blunt the impact of mass deportations to farmers, Rollins said the answer lies in reforming the H-2A visa program. She added that she would need to “follow the data” to better understand how new immigration policies may affect agriculture.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D- Ill, asked Rollins about a provision in the controversial Project 2025 that called for capping crop insurance payments at $40,000 per farmer. Rollins responded that the American First Policy Institute she leads was not involved with Project 2025. Still, she declined to say if she favored or opposed the cap.

Rollins was equally non-committal on how she would address diversity initiatives at USDA. Sen. Rafael Warnock, D- Ga., noted a Trump executive order could eliminate USDA’s liaison to 1890 land grant institutions, which have historically Black student bodies. Rollins replied she was not familiar with that executive order.

Later in the hearing, Warnock asked Rollins to comment on recommendations from USDA’s equity report. According to Warnock, the report has been removed from USDA’s website after Trump returned to office. Rollins said she had read the report but would not commit to considering its recommendations.

Warnock pressed on, asking Rollins if she would commit to recruiting more diverse employees. Rollins said she was committed to recruiting the best workforce in USDA history and believes that will include many different members of “all corners” of the country.

“Do you think a diverse workforce and a high-quality workforce are somehow oppositional objectives,” Warnock asked?

Rollins responded that hiring based on who is best for the job is the “promise of America.”

“But I also believe to your point, and have long held, that ensuring that we give all people a chance to succeed and to thrive, and for equal opportunity, is a bedrock foundational principal of America,” she said.

What happens next?

At the hearing’s conclusion, Chairman Boozman announced committee members had until 6 p.m. Friday to submit additional written questions. Once those questions are resolved, the committee will then be free to consider Rollins’ nomination. If they recommend her, which seems a foregone conclusion at this point, the full Senate will then vote on her nomination at a yet-to-be-determined time. Since President Trump is pushing for his nominees to be confirmed quickly, it may only be a matter of days before USDA officially has a new leader.

About the Author

Joshua Baethge

Policy Editor, Farm Progress

Joshua Baethge covers food and agriculture policy issues. Before joining Farm Progress, he spent 10 years as a news and feature reporter in Texas. During that time, he covered state and local government, community news, real estate, nightlife and culture.

Baethge earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of North Texas. In his free time, he enjoys going to concerts, discovering new restaurants, finding excuses to be outside and traveling as much as possible. He is based in the Dallas area where he lives with his wife and two kids.

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