WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has selected former White House aide Brooke Rollins to head the Ministry of Agriculture in his second administration.
Here are some things to know about Trump’s pick and the agency Rollins would lead if she is confirmed by the Senate.
Rollins, 52, graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural development before completing law school at the University of Texas. She was head of domestic policy during Trump’s first term, a portfolio that also included agricultural policy. After leaving the White House, she became president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group that helped lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration.
Over the years, Rollins has built a strong enough relationship with Trump, who values his proven loyalty Choices of the cabinet and top advisorthat she was among those floated as a potential White House chief of staff. That job went to Susie Wiles, Trump’s co-campaign manager.
Rollins called Trump a “great boss” in an interview earlier this year.
President Abraham Lincoln founded the USDA in 1862, when about half of all Americans lived on farms. The expansive department now reaches into every American neighborhood, supermarket and school cafeteria.
The USDA is the primary agency overseeing the nation’s agriculture, forestry, livestock, food quality and nutrition. The agency has a dual purpose: to promote and regulate agricultural practices and products. The agency oversees several farmer support programs; animal and plant health; and the safety of the meat, poultry and eggs that anchor the nation’s food supply. Federal nutrition programs provide food to low-income people, pregnant women and young children. And the department sets standards for school meals.
Trump did not provide many details about his agricultural policy during the campaign. But if he sticks to his promise to impose sweeping tariffs, farmers could be hit quickly — and possibly hard. During the first Trump administration, countries like China responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports such as corn and soybeans that are routinely sold abroad. Trump responded by offering farmers massive billions in aid to help them weather the trade war.
The ripple effects could also extend to consumers’ grocery bills. When everything goes smoothly, agriculture secretaries are not usually prominent faces of a government. But when the country’s food supply is at stake, it could be a different story.
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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.