Trump’s USDA Nominee Supports Mass Deportations, Bows to Big Business!

During her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, President Donald Trump’s nominee for agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, voiced her support for the large-scale deportation of undocumented immigrants, the imposition of work requirements on federal food assistance programs, and legislation that would prevent states from independently regulating agricultural products.

Her statements raised alarm among advocates for food justice and sustainable agriculture, who are concerned that her limited agricultural experience and corporate-centric approach could negatively impact farmworkers, animals, public health, and families who depend on assistance.

“The appointment of Rollins as secretary of agriculture would be detrimental to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, which are already struggling with extreme weather, disease outbreaks in livestock, and difficulties in accessing land, capital, and new markets. It’s a blow to food-insecure families depending on federal aid for their nutritional needs, as well as to small and family-owned farms who are being edged out by large corporate agricultural interests,” stated Nichelle Harriott, policy director at the Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor (HEAL) Food Alliance.

“Her track record shows a lack of commitment to supporting Black, Indigenous, and other farmers of color, as well as small and family-owned farms, farmworkers, and the people who sustain our food system.”

Rollins, who appeared before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry at 10:00 am Eastern Time on Thursday, was considered a surprising choice to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by many in the agricultural sector and by other members of the Trump administration. Although she grew up on a Texas farm, participated in 4-H and Future Farmers of America, and earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M University in 1994, her career path diverged significantly from agriculture after she graduated from the University of Texas School of Law. She worked with then-Texas Governor Rick Perry, held positions in the first Trump administration in the White House Office of American Innovation and then as acting director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council, and co-founded the conservative America First Policy Institute think tank after 2020.

“In over three decades, Rollins has never held a position that primarily focuses on food and agriculture policy,” wrote Karen Perry Stillerman, director in the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), in a blog post prior to Rollins’ hearing.

Food and agriculture justice advocates were particularly concerned about Rollins’ endorsement of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act. This legislation would overturn California’s Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale within the state of pork, veal, or eggs from animals kept in inhumane conditions, and would also block other states from enacting similar regulations. This act is supported by major agribusiness lobbying groups such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, and the Farm Bureau.

“Brooke Rollins is a well-established Trump loyalist, poised to favor corporate interests from the start. Her support of the EATS Act indicates a dangerous pro-corporate agenda she seems prepared to implement at USDA, if confirmed,” said Rebecca Wolf, senior food policy analyst at Food & Water Watch.

“The USDA holds significant influence over our food system, but President Trump seems more interested in supporting business interests rather than addressing our flawed system to ensure safe, affordable food,” Wolf added. “Congress must resist Trump’s corporate allies and their harmful legislation. That includes stopping the EATS Act, which would worsen consolidation in agriculture and lead to a regressive competition where consumers, animals, and the environment lose to the interests of large profit-driven corporations.”

During the hearing, senators questioned Rollins on key aspects of Trump’s agenda likely to affect farmers. His proposed 25% tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada could trigger retaliatory measures from these countries, potentially blocking U.S. access to their markets, as occurred with China in 2018.

Rollins stated that the administration was ready to support farmers as it had during Trump’s first term.

“Our farmers and ranchers have repeatedly expressed their desire to work and export. They don’t want to rely on government aid to solve these issues,” responded Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

Rollins replied that she would also focus on expanding access to agricultural markets.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), meanwhile, questioned how Trump’s USDA would handle his plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, considering that around 40% of U.S. farmworkers are undocumented.

“I support the president’s vision of a secure border and significant deportations. My commitment is to effectively implement President Trump’s agenda while defending, if confirmed as secretary of agriculture, our nation’s farmers and ranchers… Balancing both, which some may see as contradictory, is a key priority,” Rollins said.

Another crucial policy area Rollins would oversee as agriculture secretary involves the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which constitutes the majority of federal spending in the Farm Bill, currently stalled as Congress debates additional nutrition and work requirements, according to The Texas Tribune. While most SNAP recipients are already required to work unless they have child-care or elder-care responsibilities, legislators are considering even stricter mandates.

Rollins told senators that she believed work requirements were “important.”

In her pre-hearing article, UCS’s Stillerman also expressed concerns about Rollins’ history of climate change denial and her marriage to an oil exploration company president.

“In 2018, then-White House aide Rollins told attendees at a right-wing energy conference that ‘we know the research on CO2 being a pollutant is just not valid’—a perspective that is considered extreme even within the Trump administration,” she wrote.

Moreover, Stillerman highlighted Rollins’ history of endorsing “hateful and dangerous conspiracy theories,” particularly regarding Democrats, left-wing organizations, and movements advocating for women’s and Black rights.

“Considering her evident disdain for social justice movements, I question what Rollins thinks about the 66 recommendations made early in 2024 by the USDA Equity Commission to address the long history of racial discrimination and level the playing field for farmers of all backgrounds,” Stillerman added.

Following the hearing, Harriott of the HEAL Food Alliance remarked: “Our food and farming communities deserve leaders who champion the needs of everyone, regardless of our backgrounds or where we live. The next secretary of agriculture must ensure that all farmers, ranchers, farmworkers, and food system workers have the resources they need to succeed.”

“Unfortunately, despite her testimony today, Brooke Rollins lacks the agricultural expertise needed to effectively lead the USDA. Her history shows a disregard for and lack of commitment to supporting Black, Indigenous, and other farmers and ranchers of color, as well as small and family-owned farms, farmworkers, and the working people who sustain our food system,” continued Harriott.

If Rollins is confirmed, Harriott urged her to “prioritize disaster relief for farmers facing climate-related disruptions; invest in small farms and those practicing traditional, cultural, and ecological farming methods; ensure protections for food and farmworkers; and safeguard vital nutrition programs like SNAP to mitigate hunger nationwide.”