President-elect Donald Trump has named Brooke Rollins to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she would oversee the programs that reimburse schools with billions of dollars annually to provide school meals for low-income children.
Rollins, a Texas native, is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank launched in 2021 to promote Trump's economic policies. A conservative lawyer, Rollins also served as acting director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council at the end of Trump's first term.
If confirmed, Rollins would oversee a sprawling department that influences nearly every part of the food and agriculture industry, from school meal nutrition policies to food safety. "It will be the honor of my life to fight for America’s farmers and our Nation’s agricultural communities," Rollins wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding in all caps: "Who's ready to make agriculture great again?"
The choice of Rollins gives another boost to the AFPI, which has quickly positioned itself to become one of the most influential groups in Trump's second term. In addition to Rollins, Trump chose AFPI chair and former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon to be education secretary.
At the moment, Rollins’ and AFPI’s stances on school nutrition policies remain unknown.
During the Biden administration, the USDA approved an update to school nutrition standards that will gradually reduce added sugars and sodium in school meals. The agency also expanded access to free school meals for an additional 3,000 high-poverty school districts via the Community Eligibility Provision.
Trump has yet to reveal his position on school nutrition or universal meal policies, but he did roll back Obama-era nutrition standards on grains, milk and sodium content during his first term in office. Meanwhile, Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation policy blueprint developed by former Trump administration officials, has called for Congress to eliminate universal school meal programs like the Community Eligibility Provision.
Farm groups gave somewhat of a muted endorsement of Rollins, with multiple organizations saying "strong leadership" will be needed to address challenges facing agriculture. The American Farm Bureau Federation said Rollins has a "good relationship" with the Texas Farm Bureau, something the national group hopes "to build on" if she's confirmed.
Progressive groups, however, have panned Rollins' lack of experience in agriculture, with the Union of Concerned Scientists saying she "appears to have no agricultural policy track record to comment on.”
Dive Awards
