Trump Selects Brooke Rollins to Be Agriculture Secretary

Agriculture (USDA)China Federal Agency/Executive Branch Opinions Policy Texas White House

November 23, 2024

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by y Maegan Vazquez (Washington Post) Rollins runs the America First Policy Institute, which has largely stayed out of the spotlight but has made numerous proposals for the second term. -- President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has picked Brooke Rollins, a former Trump White House policy adviser, to serve as secretary of agriculture.

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In his statement on Saturday announcing Rollins’s appointment, Trump highlighted her “practitioner’s experience” with agriculture, including pointing to her upbringing “upbringing in the small and Agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas” as well as her involvement in “guiding her four kids in their show cattle careers.”

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The president-elect’s incoming agriculture secretary is also expected to play a role in shaping Trump’s plans for sweeping tariffs, which in his last term saw the American agriculture industry hit hard with huge countertariffs by allied countries and rivals alike.

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Trump and his allies have also proposed making large cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is under USDA’s purview. READ MORE

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Excerpt from Politico: Rollins served as director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council during the first Trump administration. Since her time in the White House, Rollins has co-founded and helmed the America First Policy Institute think tank, which played an influential role in the transition and has been referred to as Trump’s White House in waiting.

Rollins, who grew up on a farm, is a surprise pick for the role, with less experience in agriculture policy than those on Trump’s shortlist. Trump’s decision to tap her, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, came amid ongoing fighting over the role among his advisers, family members and powerful agriculture groups.

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Southern agriculture groups will be boosted by the fact that Rollins is from Texas. She also has a degree in agricultural development. While GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill were surprised by the pick, she’s expected to have a fairly smooth Senate confirmation.

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She will also have massive influence to shape agriculture policy and farm subsidies that serve as the foundation of the U.S. food system, which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is eager to overhaul.

In a statement announcing the decision, Trump seemed to signal that a major upheaval at USDA wasn’t in store. “As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country,” Trump said in a statement announcing the decision Saturday.

The agriculture sector will also lean on Rollins to moderate Trump’s plans to impose another wave of broad tariffs on China and other major agricultural trading partners. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill who represent farm states have grown increasingly wary of Trump’s push for more tariffs, after his 2018 trade war triggered crippling retaliatory tariffs against U.S. farmers. But it’s unlikely Rollins, a Trump loyalist who has praised his economic plans, will offer major resistance.

Powerful, conservative-leaning agriculture groups were hoping for Trump to tap an agriculture-friendly USDA chief, with strong experience to help them counter Kennedy’s influence. READ MORE

Excerpt from USA Today: Rollins was one of many speakers at the Republican National Convention. A conservative lawyer, she served as acting director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council in the final year of Trump's first term.

Before her time in Washington, Rollins, a Texas-native, served as an aide to then-Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry. She was also CEO and president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think-tank in the Lone Star State. READ MORE

Excerpt from Reuters: As agriculture secretary, Rollins would advise the administration on how and whether to implement clean fuel tax credits for biofuels at a time when the sector is hoping to grow through the production of sustainable aviation fuel. READ MORE

Excerpt from NPR: Originally from Texas, she graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development. She then got her law degree at the University of Texas school of Law.

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The first Trump administration had to address the consequences of Trump's trade war with China and others, which resulted in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products leading to decreased farmer profits. The federal government did step in with some assistance to boost incomes due to the trade war, and then the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is possible Trump could also sign a second farm bill into law, a potentially trillion-dollar bill reauthorized every five years to provide farmer safety nets, programing, rural development and government nutrition assistance. The last farm bill was signed by Trump in 2018 and Congress has since failed to reauthorize it. READ MORE

Excerpt from Energy.AgWired.com: The day before she was nominated, Rollins sat down with talk show host Charlie Kirk to discuss the nomination of Florida’s Pam Bondi as Attorney General. She commented on this Trump presidency being an “inflection point in American history” and the team that he is assembling for his administration.

“I’m not sure that either one of us could have ever hoped for this sort of team of Game changers, of transformational figures all coming together to meet the moment to live in this miracle that we find ourselves in, the opportunity to really govern and take our country back is remarkable,” she said to Kirk. “We’re living in the middle of history.” Play Brooke Rollins on Charlie Kirk Show (1:28) READ MORE

Excerpt from DTN Progressive Farmer: Meanwhile, the Trump transition team remains stalled in learning about some of the key issues at USDA and other federal agencies because Trump's team has not signed key ethics documents required under the Presidential Transition Act.

"They can't come into the building, and we can't provide information to them until the documents are signed," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told DTN in an interview Monday. "That's the federal law."

This has effectively led to an early standoff between the White House and Trump's team across the federal government. Vilsack said that he hasn't had a chance to speak with Rollins or anyone else from the Trump transition team.

VILSACK ENCOURAGES SIGNING DOCUMENTS

"We can't talk to anyone from the incoming Trump administration until they've signed the necessary transition documents, but I would certainly, as a practical matter, I would encourage the incoming nominee to reach out and encourage that those papers be signed relatively soon so that she can be fully prepared and the team can be fully prepared for the job that they are undertaking," Vilsack told DTN.

USDA is dealing with multiple challenges involving foreign animal diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza in both poultry and dairy cows. More than 616 dairy herds have been infected with the H5N1 virus including more than 200 dairy herds in California during the past month. A recall went out during the weekend in California over raw milk products infected with the virus. Now USDA has been informed about New World screwworm (NWS) being detected in Mexico that prompted USDA to close the border to Mexican cattle during the weekend.

"There are some pretty significant animal-health and trade issues that need to be monitored and need to be understood on day one," Vilsack said. "An incoming secretary needs to be aware of and be able to respond to any questions that may come up at any hearing that she may have."

There's also the need to understand the full portfolio under USDA's umbrella. "There's not necessarily always a full appreciation for exactly all USDA does," Vilsack said. "So, it is certainly our hope that eventually those papers get signed as quickly as possible and our team can begin the process of educating folks to the extent they wish to be educated about what they are walking into."

ROLLINS AND AFPI

An attorney, Rollins was a domestic policy adviser to Trump in his first administration.

Since leaving the first Trump administration, Rollins has been president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI). a group that has largely championed Trump's views on foreign policy, border security and energy policies. There are a lot of ties between the Trump administration and AFPI, including Department of Education nominee Linda McMahon, who chairs the AFPI board, as well as EPA nominee Lee Zeldin, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, Veterans Affairs nominee Doug Collins, and CIA nominee John Ratcliffe.

AFPI has a list of policy agenda "pillars" but little about agricultural policy. The group has called for banning Chinese ownership of U.S. property.

While advocating for tougher work requirements, one of AFPI's policy statements questioned "means-tested welfare programs" for housing and food assistance, stating they "undermine their anti-poverty rationale when they sharply cut benefits off as household income increases. Policies like these discourage fathers from returning home and penalize all families for taking actions to move up the economic ladder." The group called for reforming policies to help two-parent families.

When it comes to energy, the group's 15-page policy agenda for energy independence focuses on rolling back regulatory requirements on domestic fossil-fuel energy. AFPI does not mention "biofuels" or "ethanol" once. The policy doesn't mention aviation fuel either.

AFPI takes an aggressive stance against renewable energy policies and climate change policies that "only exacerbate the difficulties of providing affordable and reliable energy.

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Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said, "We congratulate Ms. Rollins on her nomination as the next USDA secretary and share her vision for boosting America's agriculture sector and rural communities."

"Over the past two decades, renewable fuels like ethanol have stimulated unprecedented economic growth and prosperity in the farm economy and we hope to build upon that success with Ms. Rollins. We look forward to speaking with her about the close ties that bind renewable fuels to our nation's farm communities.

"The ethanol industry is deeply rooted on the American farm, and we are eager to continue our long and successful partnership with the experienced leaders and staff of the U.S. Department of Agriculture," Cooper said. READ MORE

Excerpt from DTN Progressive Farmer: Nebraska Ethanol Board Vice Chairman Scott McPheeters spent time talking to agriculture journalists on all things farming and biofuels, during an Agricultural Communicators Network workshop in Omaha last week.

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The first Trump administration approved more than 80 small-refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard, https://www.dtnpf.com/….

The new Trump administration is faced with finalizing the next round of already-late RFS volumes, https://www.dtnpf.com/…, and the completion of U.S. Internal Revenue Service guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuels Production tax credit.

That credit is considered to be a key to the future of sustainable aviation fuel.

Trump announced the appointment of former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as the next administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.dtnpf.com/…, raising questions about the biofuels future. READ MORE

Excerpt from Agri-Pulse: Dear Secretary-designate Rollins:

Congratulations on your nomination, and I wish you the very best! The secretary of agriculture has a big portfolio, and anyone filling that office has to be an expert on everything from forest fires to dairy policy. That’s a given, but you will have some extra challenges.

Your counterpart at HHS has compared pig farmers to Osama Bin Laden and found the pig farmers wanting. The nominee for head of the Food and Drug Administration recently said that we (and here I’m pretty sure he meant the farmers that you represent) are "poisoning" the food supply. Cabinet meetings are going to be fun!

Not only will farmers expect you to stand up for science and common sense within the councils of government, but you are going to have to take agriculture’s position to the public as well. We’ve had a few months of very positive news coverage of “Make America Healthy Again,” and while the concerns of your fellow cabinet members about public health and particularly obesity are well founded, some of their solutions are, to put it mildly, bonkers. We farmers need your help.

Trade is going to be a challenge. In his remarks upon your appointment, President Trump mentioned that he wanted the U.S. to be self-sufficient in food. Self-sufficiency may be a worthy goal, but we need to talk about the importance of coffee imports. However, any decline in banana imports in the name of self-sufficiency is fine with me.

President Trump has made it clear that he will increase tariffs on imports. The cabinet appointees who deal with foreign trade and diplomacy are fully on board with his trade policy. Six years into our present tariff regime, we’ve seen our agricultural trade surplus disappear and have developed a huge deficit in agriculture trade. I suppose this is what prompted President Trump’s remarks about self-sufficiency. An impartial observer might wonder if doubling down on tariffs is a good solution, but here we are. As the old saying goes, we’re about to get what we want, good and hard.

Now, one advantage you do have is the strong support for President Trump from farmers and rural America. As our spokesperson inside the Trump administration, you represent a constituency that strongly supports the President. He remembered that support during his last administration, when tariffs caused a crash in ag exports, by tapping the Commodity Credit Corporation for funds to help farmers survive the loss of export markets.

As I’m sure you know, some of the farm bill proposals being discussed would end the second Trump administration’s ability to tap the CCC for trade assistance. Farmer support for President Trump is broad and deep, but we do depend on exports to a larger extent than most industries. We’ll need you to speak up for the importance of agricultural trade.

I’m excited that the secretary of agriculture grew up showing cattle, served as a state FFA officer, and has roots in farming and ranching that are broad and deep. Congratulations, and Good Luck!

Blake Hurst is a farmer and greenhouse grower in northwest Missouri.

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READ MORE

Excerpt from Houston Chronicle: But one of the few policy positions the Texan has been tied to through her conservative advocacy is cutting farm subsidies that many say are key to maintaining the nation's food supply.

In 2016, the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, which Rollins led at the time, published a report on "corporate welfare" that advocated the elimination of a state loan program for farmers, arguing it distorted the markets for crops and animal products.

"Eliminate the Agricultural Loan Guarantee Program and other agricultural subsidy programs," the report read.

In doing so, the Austin-based group that Rollins helmed for 15 years took on a farm support system that is widely viewed by Republicans and Democrats alike as critical to keeping farmers in business. READ MORE