Texas lawyer, ex-White House aide nominated to lead USDA

Brooke Rollins, a former White House aide and Texas lawyer with agriculture ties, has been nominated by president-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the USDA.

Rollins was domestic policy chief during Trump’s first term and worked on projects including agricultural policy. After leaving the White House, Rollins became president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration, according to the Associated Press.

Rollins, 52, a lawyer from Glen Rose, Texas,  graduated from Texas A&M University with an undergraduate degree in agricultural development before completing law school at the University of Texas. 

Trump also nominated Marty Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, to lead the Food and Drug Administration. 

Makary has written articles critical of the overprescribing of drugs, the use of pesticides on foods and the outsized influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies, according to AP.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, he questioned the need for masking, expressed concerns about booster vaccinations in young children and called for greater emphasis on herd immunity — the idea that mass infections would quickly lead to population-level protection.

Rollins  was among the people floated as a potential White House chief of staff, according to the AP.  Her USDA nominaton was announced Nov. 23.

“Brooke’s commitment to support the American farmer, defense of American food self-sufficiency, and the restoration of agriculture-dependent American small towns is second to none,” Trump said in a statement. “As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American farmers, who are truly the backbone of our country.” 

Before serving as White House Domestic Policy Council director, Rollins spent 15 years as president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, according to CNN.

The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans when Trump takes office Jan. 20. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary.

“Congratulations to Brooke Rollins on her nomination and we look forward to working with her to build a stronger, more resilient U.S. potato industry that protects our family farms and the 700,000-plus jobs supported by the industry,” Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, said in a statement.

Another name floated for the position was Sarah Frey, founder and CEO of Orchardville Illinois’ Frey Farms, which grows watermelons, pumpkins and other vegetables.

Frey, who was appointed to serve as an advisor to the chair of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, was endorsed for the position by the National Watermelon Association.

Founded by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, the USDA is the primary agency overseeing the nation’s farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition. The agency maintains a dual purpose of promoting and regulating agriculture practice and products. It oversees multiple support programs for farmers; animal and plant health; and the safety of meat, poultry and eggs that anchor the nation’s food supply.

USDA’s federal nutrition programs provide food to low-income people, pregnant women and young children. The department also sets standards for school meals.