Sat Nov 23 22:51:32 UTC 2024: ## Trump Nominates Brooke Rollins as Agriculture Secretary
**Washington, D.C. –** President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday the nomination of Brooke Rollins as his Secretary of Agriculture. This completes his selection of executive branch department heads, just weeks after his re-election. Rollins, a long-time Trump associate and current president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, will succeed Tom Vilsack.
Rollins’s nomination requires Senate confirmation, which is expected given the Republican majority. Her background includes serving as White House domestic policy chief during Trump’s first term, working for former Texas Governor Rick Perry, and heading the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She also holds a law degree and practiced litigation in Dallas.
While Trump’s agricultural policies remain largely unspecified, his past use of tariffs could significantly impact farmers. The potential for retaliatory tariffs and the need for government aid, as seen during his first presidency, remain concerns.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA), founded in 1862, plays a vital role in overseeing farming, food safety, and nutrition programs. Rollins’s appointment will place her at the helm of an agency responsible for implementing policies affecting food stamps, school lunches, and the upcoming 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services. The latter department, under Trump’s nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has outlined plans for changes to school lunches and food stamp eligibility, which the USDA would ultimately implement.
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