President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Brooke L. Rollins, CEO of the America First Policy Institute and a senior aide during his previous administration, is his nominee for Agriculture Secretary.
Rollins served as Director of the Domestic Policy Council, head of the Office of American Innovation, and Presidential Assistant for Strategic Initiatives during Trump’s first term. In 2020, she established the pro-Trump think tank America First Policy Institute and its advocacy arm, America First Works.
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A Texas native, Rollins previously worked as a policy director for former GOP Governor Rick Perry, who later served as Trump’s Energy Secretary.
“Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our country,” Trump said in a statement posted to his Truth Social account. He said she is committed to “the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns.”
Donald Trump’s renewed pledge to impose tariffs on imported goods, particularly from China, is expected to trigger retaliatory measures that could cost U.S. agriculture billions in lost exports—similar to the challenges faced during his first term. During that period, the Agriculture Department spent nearly $30 billion to compensate farmers for trade losses until a deal was reached with China.
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Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, praised Trump’s nominee for Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, highlighting her strong ties with the Texas Farm Bureau.
“We’re encouraged by her statement that she’d ‘fight for America’s farmers and our nation’s agricultural communities,’” Duvall said in a statement. “Effective leadership at USDA is more important than ever as farmers and ranchers face a struggling agricultural economy.”
Rollins, a former senior aide in Trump’s first term and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, has a history of advocating for conservative policies. In September 2023, she joined other think tank leaders in urging Congress to reject a supplemental funding request from President Joe Biden for Ukraine aid, disaster relief, and border management, arguing that such issues should be handled through regular appropriations.
If confirmed, Rollins would become the second woman to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), following Ann Veneman, who served under President George W. Bush.
Rollins would oversee the USDA’s vast portfolio, managing over $200 billion in annual federal spending, with about 70% allocated to nutrition programs such as food stamps. The coming year will be critical for the department as lawmakers and the Trump administration work to finalize a new multiyear farm bill after a one-year extension was enacted when the 118th Congress ran out of time.
On Friday, Trump also announced Russ Vought as his choice for another term as budget director. Vought has previously advocated for significant reductions in farm price supports and stricter work requirements for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
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