More than 400 farmers and grower groups are calling on the Senate to confirm Rollins to lead the USDA
FIRST ON FOX — A coalition of more than 400 U.S. farm, rancher and rancher groups sent a letter to Senate leaders this week urging swift confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee Brooke Rollins. lead the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), hailing her as a strong voice they consider well-placed to speak for the interests of rural America.
There were as many as 417 signatories national and state groups of growers representing the interests of farmers, ranchers, hunters, ranchers, forest owners, renewable fuel associations and state departments of agriculture across the country — encompassing, they said, nearly “every aspect of American agriculture, food, nutrition and rural America.”
The USDA is the agency that oversees the nation’s agriculture and its practices. Its extensive portfolio includes supporting farmers, setting standards for school meals and overseeing the safety of meat, poultry and eggs.
The letter was reviewed exclusively by Fox News Digital and sent to Sens. John Boozman, R-La., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. — the chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Food and Forestry Committee — just a week before Rollins was scheduled to appear before the panel for a confirmation hearing.
AG NOMINEE PAM BONDI SEES SUPPORTING FORCE TO RUN DOJ IN TRUMP’S SECOND TERM
Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, “has been involved in American agriculture since she was a child.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In the letter, the signatories praised what they described as Rollins’ fundamental knowledge of agriculture, combined with her policy and good business faith, which they said made her uniquely qualified for the role of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
Rollins has “been involved in American agriculture since she was a child,” they said, noting that Rollins’ childhood was spent baling hay and raising cattle in Glen Rose, Texas — a town about 70 miles outside Dallas — as well as summers spent working on the family farm in Minnesota.
Later, Rollins graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in agricultural development on a scholarship, before attending law school at the University of Texas. She went on to work for former Texas Governor Rick Perry and later served as director of the United States Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first term as president. She then became president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, whose mission is to “advance policies that put the American people first.”
The non-profit think tank has urged Congress to limit access to China American farmland and was critical of President Biden’s energy policy.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW DEPUTY MEMBERS IN THE CABINET, THE INAUGURATION DATE APPROACHES
In the letter, the groups said Rollins’ agricultural and bona fide farming background, policy expertise and her business experience make her uniquely poised to “provide effective executive leadership for USDA’s important, broad-based activities and large workforce.”
TRUMP INAUGURATION GUEST LIST INCLUDES TECH TITANS MARK ZUCKERBERG, JEFF BEZOS, ELON MUSK
The timing of the letter comes at a critical time for American grower groups and agricultural companies across the country. (NWS Gray/Twitter)
The timing of the letter and Rollins’ pending confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday comes at a critical time for American grower groups and agribusinesses across the country.
It comes as do the legislators stopped on the new agricultural account, and other key priorities for farmers and industry groups across the country.
The 11th-hour passage of a government spending bill in late December narrowly helped avoid a government shutdown, but they failed to provide full assistance to farmers and other agricultural subsidies in amounts deemed necessary by many in the US
In the letter, the groups cited Rollins’ “close working relationship” with the incoming president, who they said will “ensure that agriculture and rural America have a prominent and influential voice at the table when critical decisions are made in the White House.”
Sign for the entrance to the Jamie L. Whitten United States Department of Agriculture Federal Building.
In short, the letter states, Rollins’ leadership at USDA is essential to help “advocate for a new farm bill, stabilize a declining farm economy, support the full value chain of food, agriculture and forestry, and continue the long history of American agriculture in providing the safest, the most affordable and nutritious food supply in the world.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Rollins is not expected to face stiff opposition to her nomination to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and lawmakers who have spoken so far have praised her experience and strong knowledge of the agriculture sector.
