The US Senate confirmed Brooke Rollins as the Secretary of Agriculture with an overwhelming majority vote of 72-28 on Thursday (February 13). Prior to the Senate vote, she received unanimous approval from the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Brooke Rollins is expected to work closely with legislators to advance the stalled Farm Bill in recent months and push for the disbursement of billions of dollars in funds related to farmer assistance priorities, according to reports from the Associated Press.
Additionally, Rollins has garnered widespread support from major agricultural organizations.
Aged 52, Brooke Rollins grew up in a farming family in Texas and studied agricultural development at Texas A&M University, where she also participated in the Future Farmers of America.
She previously worked on President Trump’s first administration’s Economic Advisory Board and is now the founder, president, and CEO of the non-government organization America First Policy Institute.
Rollins is now tasked with overseeing nearly all aspects of the nation’s food system in the department she leads, which includes agricultural practices and livestock feeding standards, providing federal subsidies to farmers or agricultural businesses, and setting nutritional standards for schools nationwide and public health officials.
During President Trump’s first term, the Department of Agriculture was at the center of the trade war when China imposed retaliatory tariffs on two major US crops, corn and soybeans, disrupting international markets. As a result, the Department of Agriculture increased subsidies for farmers growing corn and soybeans.