President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be agriculture secretary. He is the final candidate to lead the executive branch, and is yet another choice from a pool of established advisers and allies.
The nomination must be approved by the Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans once President Trump takes office on January 20, 2025. Rollins will replace Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary. Tom Vilsack oversees a vast agency that manages related policies, regulations and aid programs. From agriculture, forestry, ranching, to food quality and nutrition.
Mr. Rollins graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development and is a longtime colleague and former domestic policy director of President Trump. She is the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, an organization that helps lay the groundwork for the second Trump administration.
Trump Appointments and Candidates
Here are some of the people President-elect Donald Trump has appointed to key positions within his administration. Orange positions require Senate confirmation.
Mr. Rollins, 52, previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran the think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Rollins’ nomination completes the search for executive branch leaders just two and a half weeks after former President Trump regained the White House. Several other traditionally cabinet-level appointments remain, including the U.S. trade representative and head of the Small Business Administration.
President Trump did not provide many details about his agricultural policy during the campaign, but farmers could be affected if he follows through on his promise to impose widespread tariffs. During the first Trump administration, countries such as China responded to President Trump’s tariffs by imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports such as corn and soybeans that are routinely sold overseas. President Trump responded by providing billions of dollars in aid to farmers to help them weather the trade war.
President Abraham Lincoln established the Department of Agriculture in 1862. At the time, about half of Americans lived on farms. USDA oversees multiple assistance programs for farmers. animal and plant health. and the safety of the meat, poultry, and eggs that support the nation’s food supply. Federal nutrition programs provide food to low-income people, pregnant women, and young children. The agency also sets standards for school lunches.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, would eliminate ultra-processed foods from school lunches and give Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients food stamps to buy things like soda and candy. I vowed not to use it. So-called junk food. However, it would be USDA, not HHS, that would be responsible for enforcing these changes.
Additionally, HHS and USDA will work together to finalize the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These will incorporate healthy eating guidance and federal nutrition program standards and are expected to be submitted late next year. ___ Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writers Josh Funk and Jonelle Alecia contributed to this report.
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