Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of the nonprofit America First Policy Institute and a native of Texas, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next U.S. secretary of agriculture.
As ag secretary in the second Trump administration, Rollins would lead a U.S. Department of Agriculture that has more that 100,000 employees across the nation. In addition to connections to FFA and 4-H, Rollins has a long history of Trump’s trust. During his first term, Rollins was an assistant to the president for intergovernmental and technology initiatives. She then went on to become acting director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council, whose stated goal is to drive “the development and implementation of the President’s domestic policy agenda in the White House and across the Federal government.”
“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.
In a social media post after the announcement, Rollins said, “Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. It will be the honor of my life to fight for America’s farmers and our Nation’s agricultural communities. This is big stuff for a small-town ag girl from Glen Rose, TX — truly the American Dream at its greatest.”
Rollins is somewhat a surprise choice for this role. While she’s been a vital component of Trump’s transition team, mainstream media has somewhat derisively labeled her as “one of the most important Republican operatives you’ve probably never heard of.”
And as recently as last week, farm industry media had been zeroing on the likes of Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, House Ag Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, and American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall to be the next ag secretary. CNN, meanwhile, reported as recently as Friday that U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler was the top contender.
None of them had Rollins on their radars.
“Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none,” Trump said.
The job of agriculture secretary has massive implications in a variety of ways for the country, not the least of which is having a role in how food is produced and how resources are developed for those in the agriculture industry. That position further includes nutrition programs, farm lending, rural development, agriculture research, forestry, and trade leadership.
As NBC News describes it, a new ag secretary would “guide next year’s renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, in the shadow of disputes over Mexico’s attempt to bar imports of genetically modified corn and Canada’s dairy import quotas.”
Notably, the nomination of Rollins comes as Congress continues to have unfinished farm bill policy hanging over its shoulders. Already a year overdue and currently living on life support via an extension, the farm bill is expected to be punted yet again by a Congress that doesn’t have an appetite for the relatively small measure introduced by Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow just last week.
This means that Rollins could play a significant role in helping to guide whatever measure would hopefully be drafted in 2025.
The role of agriculture secretary was one of the most consistent points of Trump’s first term, with his selection at the time, Sonny Perdue from Georgia, serving for the duration of Trump’s presidency.
Rollins earned an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech and a law degree at the University of Texas School of Law. If confirmed, she would be only the second woman in history to ever serve in the role of U.S. secretary of agriculture. The first was Ann Veneman during George W. Bush’s administration.
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