Ag Policy Blog

The confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Agriculture secretary has been pushed back, according to Politico.

Politico and others had reported the hearing for nominee Brooke Rollins would be held Jan. 15, but the Senate Agriculture Committee had not made any formal hearing announcement.

Politico reported Thursday that Rollins "is among a handful of nominees whose confirmation hearings are slipping past their target dates due to delays with FBI background checks and ethics paperwork." Politico cites "two people with direct knowledge of the matter."

There had been speculation that Rollins would be among a group of Trump's nominees who could be confirmed by the Senate on "Day 1" of the Trump administration. Inauguration day is Jan. 20.

Committees have typically set seven-day notices before confirmation hearings, but require that FBI and ethics paperwork to be filed. Not all committees are operating the same, however. The North Dakota Monitor reported Thursday that Democrats on the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee are complaining because Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the committee chairman, scheduled a Jan. 14 confirmation hearing for North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump's nominee for Interior secretary, without all of the paperwork completed.

Rollins, an attorney and advisor to Trump in his first term, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, highlighted by social media posts with senators and representatives, including Democratic senators on the Agriculture Committee. The House Agriculture Committee GOP page on X @HouseAgGOP, posted a photo with Brooks and House Ag Committee Chairman GT Thompson, R-Pa., both wearing "Make Agriculture Great Again" hats.

Rollins has posted her meetings with senators but she has stayed mum on policy issues since Trump nominated her as Agriculture secretary on Nov. 23.

A native of Glen Rose, Texas, Rollins is the founder and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) and America First Works (AFW), a pair of organizations that have championed Trump's agenda.

Rollins, 52, also was a member of Trump's Economic Advisory Council in 2016. Rollins was director of the Domestic Policy Council, director of the Office of American Innovation, and assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives under Trump.

Rollins will take over a department with more than 100,000 people, a $213 billion budget and more than 3,000 county offices. USDA is responsible for the country's main nutrition support programs, school lunches, farm programs and rural economic development. Rollins would also lead the Trump administration's efforts to advise the next Congress on what should be included in a new farm bill.

Some issues Rollins would be expected to address in her confirmation hearing is how would the Trump administration view proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the planned reconciliation bill Republicans want to pass.

Rollins also likely would get questions about how the Trump administration would address trade retaliation against farmers and whether the administration needs open access to the Commodity Credit Corp. (CCC) which Republicans sought to restrict last year in the House version of the farm bill.

Also see, "Tom Vilsack's Exit Interview With DTN: Part 2

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Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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