The agency has 100,000 employees and a $25 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2025.
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Brooke Rollins to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in his administration.
“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 announcing the nomination on Nov. 23.
Rollins grew up in a farming family in Glen Rose, Texas. She participated in Future Farmers of America and 4H. She studied agriculture development at Texas A&M University.
Rollins previously worked on Trump’s 2016 Economic Advisory Council. She went on to serve in his first administration as director of the Domestic Policy Council, director of Trump’s Office of American Innovation, and as his assistant for strategic initiatives.
After Trump’s first term, Rollins went on to become the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.
“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country,” Trump said.