[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S958-S959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Brooke Rollins

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I am honored to speak on the floor of the 
Senate and support Brooke Rollins to be Secretary of Agriculture. The 
Senate will vote on her nomination in this Cabinet position today, and 
I encourage my colleagues to vote yes.
  America's farmers, ranchers, and foresters need a leader at USDA who 
will be an advocate for their livelihoods and rural America and be a 
strong voice to address the pressing needs of our agriculture 
community. Brooke Rollins is that person. In her hearing before the 
Senate Agriculture Committee, she pledged to do everything within her 
ability to ensure that our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities 
thrive. And we know she will follow through on that because rural 
America helped shape her into what she is today.
  She is leading a life of service that began with membership in her 
smalltown Texas FFA chapter. She continues to credit her FFA adviser 
for his support and mentorship in her agriculture career. She invited 
him to attend the nomination hearing before the Senate Agriculture 
Committee last month, along with the Texas State FFA officer team she 
served with in high school.
  Texas Governor Rick Perry knew Brooke Rollins had a heart for Texas 
farmers and invited her to join his policy team, where she advocated 
for agriculture. She continues that passion today.
  Her executive leadership during the first Trump administration and 
her regular collaboration with President Trump make her uniquely 
qualified to serve in this position and advocate for family farms.
  She understands the significant responsibility of this role during 
one of the most economically challenging times for agriculture 
producers. Hard-working farmers who grow our food are struggling to 
operate, let alone make a profit in this current economic climate. High 
inflation and steep input costs far outpacing depressed market prices 
have put many farm families on a course toward bankruptcy, with 
multigenerational operations fighting to continue their family 
legacies.

  In December, Congress approved natural disaster and emergency 
assistance to help producers obtain critical operating loans for this 
crop year. Ensuring delivery of this aid will be one of her first 
priorities as Secretary. I am confident she will pursue policies to 
help rural America live up to its potential.
  While we first met during the first Trump administration, I have had 
the opportunity to get to know her better during her confirmation 
process, and she has demonstrated her enthusiasm for being a voice for 
smalltown American agriculture producers. I am grateful she is willing 
to take on this big responsibility and is willing to be a part of the 
solution to help rural America at this time of unprecedented 
challenges.
  As chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I have met with

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farmers, ranchers, and agriculture stakeholders from all over the 
country, and they have been sounding the alarm of the dire 
circumstances they face in producing a safe, affordable, and abundant 
supply of food. Farmers from my home State of Arkansas shared with the 
committee last week about the difficult conversations they are forced 
to have right now about continuing their multigenerational farms and 
risking their families' futures in the industry. Unfortunately, this is 
a conversation many more farm families across the country will have if 
we do not act quickly.
  Congress must deliver an updated 5-year farm bill that modernizes the 
safety net in order to minimize the liabilities farm families take on 
when they plant their crops. Food security is national security. Our 
country is blessed to have grocery stores stocked with food to put on 
our tables. This is the result of the hard work of our farmers and 
ranchers. These producers need the tools to be successful and continue 
to grow the food, fiber, and fuel our Nation depends on.
  I know Brooke Rollins shares my commitment to enhancing policies that 
help farm families and rural communities thrive. Given her executive 
leadership, she is well prepared to hit the ground running when she 
walks through the doors of the USDA as Secretary and to deliver this 
certainty and predictability our producers need. I look forward to 
working with her and strengthening rural America for the men, women, 
and families who call it home.
  I also want to thank everyone on both sides of the aisle for making 
it such that we can do this in such an expeditious way. It took a lot 
of cooperation. I think it just shows how important our farmers are to 
both Democrats and Republicans. It is one of the few areas in which it 
is not a partisan issue. It is all about helping the men and women who 
work so, so very hard to provide the food we eat.
  With that, I yield the floor.