Rollins pledged ‘fast and furious’ first 100 days.
By Sherry Bunting, Farmshine, Jan. 24, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The growing U.S. Agriculture trade deficit was a key topic when on Jan. 23, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, gave testimony and answered four hours of questions before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
(UPDATE: Rollins was confirmed by the full Senate on Feb. 13, 2025)
Along with the trade deficit, Senators were keen to talk about Trump’s trade policies and tariffs, while also asking questions that covered everything from immigration and the ag workforce, to biofuels, the farm bill, SNAP, WIC, and other feeding programs, as well as revitalization of rural communities and preparing the next generation.
Rollins even had an important exchange with Senator Roger Marshall, a medical doctor from Kansas, about bringing the choice of whole milk back to schools. (See related story here.)
Both Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz introduced Rollins, calling her nomination “a no-brainer.”
She grew up in the small agricultural town of Glen Rose, Texas, where she was a barrel racer, a state FFA officer, helped make hay on the ranch, and raised and showed cattle in 4-H. She also spent some summers on the farm of extended family in Minnesota.
An admitted “policy wonk,” she earned her Ag Leadership and Development degree at Texas A&M and her Law degree, with honors, at the University of Texas School of Law.
“Everyone who knows Brooke, loves Brooke, and I know you will too as you get to know her,” said Sen. Cornyn.
Sen. Cruz highlighted her proven leadership, “profound appreciation for the challenges and rewards of life in agriculture,” reputation as an “independent policy thinker” and as a person who can “bring people together to accomplish major policy objectives.”
In her opening testimony, Rollins acknowledged that farmers and ranchers are currently facing “extraordinary challenges.”
She credited her FFA years for putting her on a course for where she is today and said it would be her great honor to “serve the men and women, who daily without pause or complaint provide our great nation and the world with the best food, fiber and fuel. It is clear farmers and ranchers are the cornerstone of our communities, and I will do everything in my ability to make sure (they) thrive.”
When asked to describe her first 100-days, she used the words “fast and furious,” especially in delivering into the hands of farmers and ranchers the disaster and economic relief recently passed by Congress.
On biofuels, she noted the President included year-round E15 fuels in his energy emergency proclamation.
Pressed for hope on the current $45 billion U.S. Ag trade deficit. Rollins said a key priority will be to expand access to export markets.
“We are vision-boarding to hit the ground running to bring that trade deficit down. It is up 42% in the last year,” she said. “Agriculture is in a tough spot right now in moving our products out. The USMCA is up for renegotiation, and other trade agreements.”
Rollins stressed that she will be working with Congress to be sure the White House and partners across agencies have what they need “to work across the world to bring in new trade partners to expand access to new markets.”
At the same time, she addressed questions about the Trump tariff agenda, saying “This is no surprise. He believes it is a tool to bring America back to the forefront of the world. He also understands the potential devastating impact to farmers and ranchers. I have spoken with Sonny Perdue on how that was managed in the first term for something similar, to close any potential temporary holes.”
Keenly aware that farmers “want trade not aid,” that they want to “grow markets not government payments,” Rollins said: “President Trump is a consummate deal maker. I believe that his skill and intense focus is on making deals for his people, not only for America, but for the Ag community that supported him at 90%. He knows that these are the people who have been with him the longest.”
Rollins served in the last Trump White House in key domestic policy roles. She is well versed in how Trump’s inter-agency process works, how discussions are handled, what the oval office meetings look like, and says she “will ensure our Agriculture community is strongly represented at that table.”
She gave the example of working with the incoming Labor Secretary, if confirmed, on the immigration and ag workforce needs, and asked the Senate to quickly confirm nominated undersecretaries to get the ball rolling.
Several Senators said they see Rollins, if confirmed, bringing this “value add” to the Ag cabinet position as someone who has been with the President for nine years. She knows how his White House process works and pledges to make sure “farmers will be at that table” with her job making sure “Agriculture is front and center where decisions are made.”
From trade and immigration to land management and regulation and from nutrition and hunger to preparing agriculture’s next generation, Rollins was clear: “We will follow the data, and we will listen to our farmers and ranchers as this is moving forward. We as leaders, as Agriculture, we will work together to understand and solve for these problems.”
Rollins cited these immediate priorities if confirmed as Ag Secretary:
— Ensuring disaster and economic relief that was passed by Congress at the end of 2024 is deployed quickly into the hands of farmers and ranchers;
— Working with the men and women of USDA and state leaders on animal disease outbreaks such as H5N1 in poultry and dairy cattle;
— Dedicating timely technical assistance to ensure a modernized farm bill moves forward that meets the needs of farmers and ranchers;
— Modernizing, restructuring, and re-aligning the U.S. Department of Agriculture;
— Supporting rural development to ensure rural communities are equipped and benefit from development of strong markets, including export markets;
— Eliminating burdensome and costly regulations;
— Preparing the next generation in agriculture; and
— Ensuring efficient nutrition programs for a healthy next generation.
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