OMAHA (DTN) -- Agriculture secretary nominee Brooke Rollins told senators on Thursday that USDA would be prepared to again provide aid to farmers if they face retaliatory tariffs as President Donald Trump implements his trade policies.
Despite concerns about farmworkers being deported, Rollins also told senators she supports Trump's border and mass-deportation policies, but said she is willing to work with the Department of Labor and Congress to reform the H-2A migrant-labor program.
Rollins' confirmation hearing with the Senate Agriculture Committee was congenial and bipartisan, but senators raised concerns about the potential impacts of Trump's policies, especially around tariffs and labor. Some senators also pushed to ensure Rollins would support biofuel policies. In nearly every issue raised, Rollins had a positive response. At one point, Rollins said people have called her a "pathological optimist."
A native Texan, Rollins was an adviser for Trump's economic policies in his first term and gained more influence in Trump's world as founder and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.
Coming out of the hearing, it's hard to see Rollins not gaining broad, bipartisan support for a quick confirmation vote before the full Senate.
TARIFFS
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., chairman of the committee, asked Rollins early on about the impact of tariffs with U.S. agriculture already facing a $45 billion agricultural trade deficit. Rollins noted Trump obviously sees tariffs as a key strategy for negotiating with other countries.
"I think it probably comes as no surprise to anyone sitting in this room that he believes it is a very important tool in his tool kit to continue to bring America back to the forefront of the world and to ensure that we have a thriving economy," Rollins said.
Asked how farmers would be protected, Rollins said she had talked to former Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, who oversaw $23 billion in trade aid to farmers over two years, saying, "We are prepared to execute something similar."
Rollins added she would "also be working with the White House to ensure that we can close those holes for our farmers and ranchers moving forward under any sort of tariff execution."
Rollins later reiterated to senators that Trump understands his support in rural America. "At the end of the day, we all know him to be the consummate dealmaker, not only for America, but for the ag community that supported him at 90% since, really, the very, very beginning."
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., the ranking member of the committee, noted to Rollins, "Farmers want trade not aid."
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., also said California farmers received far less in tariff assistance in 2019 compared to farmers from other states despite "heavy tariffs imposed on specialty crop exports." Rollins committed to ensuring that tariff relief is distributed more equitably.
ECONOMIC AID
Talking about her first 100 days, Rollins mentioned the $10 billion economic assistance Congress passed last month for commodity farmers. Rollins said she would make a "fast and furious effort to ensure we move that economic aid out."
That pleased Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who had pressed for that economic aid. Boozman said farmers "desperately need it so we can talk to our bankers and try to figure things out from this last year."
AG LABOR
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., asked about deportation and raised concerns about farm labor. He said dairy farmers and orchards in his state have talked about the importance of immigrant workers. Durbin said 40% of agricultural workers nationally are undocumented. Durbin pointed out the America First Policy Institute championed mass deportation.
"Can we expect this administration to be raiding farms, going after our immigrant farmworkers?" Durbin asked.
Rollins responded, "The president's vision of a secure border and mass deportations at scale is something I support."
To counter deportations, Rollins said she would work with the Department of Labor and Congress to reform the H-2A migrant farm labor program
Rollins also said she has not been involved in creating any of the deportation plans. She could not say whether farms would be targeted. She added that Trump will keep his promise on immigration, but he also supports farmers.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., also brought up worries about how farmers will be affected by deportation plans.
"We literally can't milk our cows without immigrant labor," Welch said, adding, "I want to make sure that whatever we do to secure the border doesn't deprive our hard-working dairy farms, and farmers have access to the labor they absolutely depend on."
Schiff talked about the conditions farmworkers face as they pick fruits and vegetables in California and said it would be a "grave injustice" to deport people who put food on Americans' tables. He also said many of those workers have children who are U.S. citizens. Schiff said farmers in his state would struggle to survive. Scarce farm labor would also push up food prices.
President Trump, though, ran and was elected on border security and mass deportations, Rollins said. She said deportations would begin with criminals who have brought a lot of strife to communities. Rollins said she believed Trump's team would find a way to solve any hypothetical issues that could come up such as increased food prices.
It should be noted that under current law, dairies and other farms that rely on year-round labor do not qualify for H-2A workers.
BIOFUELS
Klobuchar first noted the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which Rollins led for 15 years, also was critical of biofuels, including ethanol, in a series of policy papers.
Rollins responded that those papers were written more than a decade ago and she wasn't directly involved. She added, "No doubt coming from Texas, I was a massive defender of fossil fuels and the importance of fossil fuels in the energy independence and energy dominance narrative."
Responding to other senators, Rollins also reiterated that Trump's executive order on energy also included language supporting E15.
Rollins also was asked multiple times about the 45Z Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit. She said she would work with EPA administrator nominee Lee Zeldin on biofuel volumes and Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent on the 45Z credit.
Responding to Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Rollins said, "My role, if confirmed, is to defend all of American agriculture, so I believe, senator (Marshall), that you and others who hail from these states where this is a driver for your farmers and your ranchers in your ag economy, should feel very confident that you have a friend and defender in this current administration to make sure this continues."
STALLED FARM BILL
On the farm bill, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the farm bill needs to maintain affordable crop insurance while updating the Agricultural Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage programs. Rollins said she is committed to working with Congress to get a farm bill and "work alongside both sides to get us where we need to be."
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said row crop farmers in his state "are really getting killed." But he added, "They hate handouts."
Rollins said helping farmers "can't always come through government subsidies. We've got to expand the market. We've got to figure out input costs," she said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also asked Rollins to ensure the Trump administration can encourage Congress to pass a farm bill this year.
Also see "Ag Secretary Nominee Brooke Rollins' Key Issues Ahead of Confirmation Hearing" here:
https://www.dtnpf.com/….
And see "Senators Reintroduce SAF Bill Day After Trump Executive Order Freezes 45Z" here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com
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