Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee met yesterday to consider the nomination of Brooke Rollins to lead the USDA as Secretary of Agriculture. Over nearly four hours, Republicans praised her childhood upbringing in a Texas farm town, where she raised livestock with Future Farmers of America and later studied agriculture at Texas A&M University. Her career, however, has not been in food or agriculture, but in broader conservative policy making.
Senators on both sides of the aisle asked about her support for ethanol (which she confirmed) and whether she’d ensure farmers are not negatively impacted by Trump’s proposed tariffs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the country’s largest safety net for food-insecure families, also came up often. Rollins said she supports work requirements and would not rule out overall cuts to benefits. She also said she supports overturning California’s animal welfare law Proposition 12. See our more in-depth coverage here of Rollins’ background and hearing and that of her counterpart Lee Zeldin, tapped to lead the EPA. (Link to this post.)
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