Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be agriculture secretary, speaks during her Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture said during her confirmation hearing Thursday that she has “a lot to learn” about highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu, the virus that’s wreaking havoc on the country’s poultry industry and dairy farms.
The outbreak has affected more than 136 million poultry flocks and nearly 1,000 dairy herds, and infected 67 humans, with one person dying so far. Public health experts continue to assess the risk of infection to the general public as low, but are closely monitoring bird flu’s spread among farm workers and livestock as well as domestic cats and other mammals.
The four-hour hearing showed Brooke Rollins likely has the support to secure Senate confirmation, though members from both political parties raised concerns about the decline in family farms, hollowing out of rural America, speed with which USDA delivers disaster aid to farmers and future of nutrition programs.
Tariffs and trade
Rollins also received numerous questions from both Democrats and Republicans about Trump’s plan to raise tariffs on imports, likely leading to retaliatory tariffs on American exports and negative repercussions for farmers and food prices.
“Regarding the president’s tariff agenda, I think it probably comes as no surprise to anyone sitting in this room that he believes it is a very important tool in his toolkit to continue or bring America back to the forefront of the world and to ensure that we have a thriving economy,” Rollins said. “But just as he did and we did in the first administration, he also understands the potential devastating impact to our farmers and our ranchers.”
Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin raised concerns about what happened during Trump’s first administration after he placed tariffs on allied nations as well as China. She urged Rollins to make sure Trump understands that would likely happen again, if he does place steep tariffs on other countries.
“President Trump announced 25% tariffs on Chinese products — batteries, TVs, medical devices,” Slotkin said. “China retaliated and put 25% tariffs on soybeans, fruits, pork and some other items. Then we got into a trade war; we started adding more things to the list, they already started adding more things to the list. It went on and on and on and back and forth.
“Suddenly our farmers across the country are screaming bloody murder, because … no one wanted to buy our stuff because it had a 25% tariff. We felt that very acutely.”
The prior Trump administration then pulled billions out of the Commodity Credit Corporation to aid farmers who were harmed by the retaliatory tariffs, she said.
“That emergency fund is the same fund that helps us with things like avian flu that we’re now dealing with all over the country,” Slotkin said.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell said he hoped the country won’t go down the same path it has before with respect to tariffs and trade wars.
“It seems to me that trade has sort of become a word for a lot of Americans that implies exportation of jobs,” McConnell said. “In Kentucky, we think of trade as exportation of products and it’s an extremely important part of what we do.”
Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet told Rollins that he is “sympathetic to some of the trade policies that President Trump is trying to advocate for.”
“But agriculture’s already in a tough spot … and we don’t want it to be in a tougher spot as a result of what happens here,” Bennet said.
He then asked Rollins if she believed her responsibility as secretary of agriculture would be “to go into the Oval Office and say, ‘You haven’t thought through the unintended consequences that are going to flow to American agriculture if you pursue these trade policies.’”
Rollins said her role, if confirmed, would be “to defend, to honor, to elevate our entire agriculture community in the Oval Office, around the table, through the interagency process. And to ensure that every decision that is made in the coming four years has that front of mind as those decisions are being made.”
Bird flu
Rollins was less secure in telling senators how she should handle the ongoing bird flu, or H5N1, outbreak.
Poultry farmers and the USDA have had to deal with the virus in domestic flocks for years, but it didn’t begin infecting dairy herds until about a year ago.
The spillover into another section of American agriculture and the uptick in farmers catching the virus led to a multi-agency response from the federal government that included the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and USDA.
“There is a lot that I have to learn on this. And if confirmed, this will be, as I mentioned in my opening statement, one of the very top priorities,” Rollins said, referencing her previous comments about getting a “handle on the state of animal disease outbreaks.”
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who had asked Rollins what her plan was for curbing the spread of bird flu, then questioned her about a new requirement that prevents some public health officials from external communications.
“I will note that just yesterday the administration announced they will halt external public health communications from the CDC on these avian flu (and) animal diseases,” Klobuchar said. “These important announcements have helped keep producers up to date with the latest information on disease spread, health of workers. And while I know that wasn’t under the USDA, I just urge you to talk to them about that. We’re concerned.”
Effect of mass deportations on ag
Rollins was pressed during the hearing about how sweeping deportations might impact the agriculture industry and food supplies throughout the country. Senators also asked how she planned to keep the pipeline that moves food from farms to people’s tables from collapsing if mass deportations are carried out.
“President Trump ran and was overwhelmingly elected on the priority of border security and mass deportation,” Rollins said. “He and his team are, I’m assuming, currently putting in place the plans to begin that process. Of course, first with those who have committed criminal offenses once they have been here.”
Rollins said she planned to work with Labor Secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer, if she is confirmed, on issues related to the agriculture workforce.
Rollins testified she wants to make changes to the H2A visa for temporary agricultural workers, though she didn’t detail what those changes might entail.
California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff asked Rollins whether a potential sudden drop-off in agricultural workers due to mass deportations might lead to higher food prices “in sharp contrast with what the president said he wanted to do.”
Rollins said while that was a hypothetical, it was one that “we do need to be thinking through.”
“And I think it’s a very fair point,” Rollins said. “The president has made food inflation and the cost of food one of his top priorities. I have worked alongside him. I have been part of his team for many years now. I believe in his vision and his commitment to America and to his promises. And in so doing, I believe that we will be able to find in our toolkit what we need to do to solve for any hypothetical issues that end up turning out to be real moving forward over the coming months and years.”
Rollins was the director of the Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first administration before going on to become the president and chief executive officer of the America First Policy Institute think tank.
Trump announced Rollins as his pick for agriculture secretary in November, writing that she “has a practitioner’s experience, along with deep Policy credentials in both Nonprofit and Government leadership at the State and National levels.”
Rural development
During the hearing, Rollins also addressed the needs of rural communities, including housing, child care and food assistance, during a detailed exchange with Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
“I sometimes think that people forget that the rural development side of the USDA is really important,” Smith said. “And I will be honest, I’m fearful that the work done there — those efforts not being well understood — could become the target for budget-cutting.
“I also know that American farmers and ranchers really trust the USDA on those issues. They don’t want to see those programs farmed out to other agencies, where we all are worried that they would just get less attention.”
Rollins said that if confirmed, she would be excited “to put forward a vision and build a program around revivifying, restoring and bringing back rural America.”
Smith also asked about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, saying that nutrition programs, many of which are administered by USDA, are “foundational for healthy Americans.”
“In Minnesota, rural communities have the highest food insecurity in the whole state,” Smith said. “And in this country, 9 out of 10 (counties) with the highest food insecurity rates are rural.”
Rollins testified that she does believe in work requirements, though she conceded she didn’t have extensive knowledge of the SNAP.
“I don’t fully understand, but plan to get more in the weeds on this, if confirmed,” Rollins said. “And working with all of you to make sure that your concerns are part of that education process for me.”
Smith took the opportunity to note that SNAP does have work requirements, but that there are exceptions if people “are taking care of a child or an incapacitated person,” or if “they are participating in an alcohol or drug treatment program,” or if they are “already working under some other programs.”