Convincing Congress to pass the farm bill was one of her early and important challenges.
Brooke Rollins was confirmed by the Senate as the USDA secretary on February 13th with 72-28 votes. A family farm advocate, Rollins was a future farmer American state officer who grew up.
During the first Trump administration, Rollins served as an assistant to the president of intergovernmental and technology initiatives and served as a member of the American Bureau of Innovation. She influenced passing the first step law that sought to reform the US prison system.
Prior to the confirmation vote, Sen. John Boosman (R-ARK), chairman of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forest, said during the first Trump administration, Rollins executive leadership said, ” The family farm position and advocates who stated they were uniquely qualified to serve this.”
The agency manages national forests, agricultural lending programs, food safety inspections, rural development, commodity trade policy, school lunch standards, and nutrition programs that support low-income people, pregnant women and young children. They are fighting wildfires to manage vast lands, including national forests.
During the confirmation hearing on Jan. 23, Rawlings said as Agriculture Secretary he would prioritize supporting family farms and the entire agricultural community.
US farms fell 141,733 between 2017 and 2022, according to USDA data. This is a 7% decrease. Farm area fell by 20.1 million cases during the same period, with losses roughly equal to the size of Maine.
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“If confirmed, I am fully aware that I am stepping into my role in one of the most economically challenging times in American agriculture history,” Rollins said at the confirmation hearing. .
“It is clear that all of us agree that farmers and ranchers are the cornerstones of our country’s communities. Today, I would like to say to you that if confirmed to you, farmers, ranchers, I promise to do all of my ability to ensure that rural communities thrive.”
The Texas native was once CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank. She earned her degrees from Texas A&M and the University of Texas Law School.
Rollins was President Donald Trump’s domestic policy director during his first term. She also served as general assistant and policy advisor to former Texas governor Rick Perry.
Convincing Congress to adopt a five-year farm bill is one of her most important early challenges.
“We look forward to working with this committee and the House Agriculture Committee to pass a farm bill that provides the certainty and predictability that farm families need,” she said in her opening statement. I did.
It was adopted by the House of Representatives in 2024 but has not yet been considered by the Senate, so the farm bill details $1.46 trillion in spending over the next decade.
The 2018 Farm Bill expired for the second time on September 30, 2024. The latest expansion will provide Congress until September 30th this year until Congress passes new measures.
In her opening statement, Rollins outlined the priorities of additional Day Ones.
“We must ensure that disasters and economic support approved by Congress are deployed as quickly and efficiently as possible,” she said.
Rollins will be working with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on many issues. Kennedy was confirmed as secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on February 13th.
The USDA and HHS have a late 2025 deadline to complete the 2025-30 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Kennedy will take the steps to remove ultra-highly processed foods from school lunches, eliminate harmful chemicals from food, and implement other measures to address what he calls the “chronic disease epidemic” in the United States. He says he will focus.
The former Democratic and independent presidential candidates have pledged to ban candy, soda and other “junk foods” that are eligible to purchase food stamps under the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
