▶ 0:18:51Chair Boozman: I am delighted to call today's hearing to order. I would like to congratulate two members of this committee who were instrumental in organizing the inaugural ceremonies the took place at the capital earlier this week. Senator klobuchar and senator fischer respectively.
▶ 0:19:13Chair Boozman: For more than a year the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies led by senator klobuchar put tremendous effort into planning, organizing a traditional ceremony on the west front of the capital. As you know those plans had to be set aside at the very last minute because of the bitter cold for a more intimate gathering inside the rotunda.
▶ 0:19:40Chair Boozman: Thanks to her efforts and without missing a beat our nations tradition of peacefully transferring power continued in the president was sworn in january 20 as required by the constitution. Any thanks to senator klobuchar, senator fischer, and the staff for successfully hosting one of our nation's most important civic traditions. I would also like to congratulate senator klobuchar on becoming the ranking member of our committee.
▶ 0:20:11Chair Boozman: I've worked closely with her over the years and look forward to continuing our partnership. I met with farmers in similarly cold weather to we are experiencing today, only it was in may. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to hear those families and I look forward to hosting her in arkansas in the not too distant future.
▶ 0:20:40Chair Boozman: I would like to welcome the committee's members. Thank you for your continuing service. For our four new members, thank you for choosing to serve on the committee. I look forward to working with you and learning more about what is important to you and your states. Our committee, established in 1825, is one of the oldest in the senate.
▶ 0:21:06Chair Boozman: Our hearing room is unique in that we do not have a dais but a table. We sit across from each other, not away from each other. Symbolic and practical. I look forward to convening many meetings in the coming years for us to work together and address the concerns of our farmers and communities and those needing assistance.
▶ 0:21:39Chair Boozman: The fundamental purpose of our committee is to solve problems and help our citizens. I welcome you to ensure -- I welcome you to share your ideas and solutions. Agriculture is not partisan. We all care about farmers and ranchers. The state of rural america concerns us all and we all believe no american should be hungry. I expect for this committee to be highly productive in the 119th congress.
▶ 0:22:07Chair Boozman: We will pass a farm bill that will meet the needs of our farmers today. This morning we can meet to consider the nomination of brooke leslie rollins of texas to be the secretary of agriculture. Ms. rollins, adulation's to you on you -- congratulations to you on your nomination. You've been nominated at a challenging time. The cost of fuel, seat, and fertilizer remain high.
▶ 0:22:39Chair Boozman: Interest rates are also very high and continue to be high. Farmers everywhere are losing money while farmers in certain parts of the country are losing hundreds of dollars per acre.
▶ 0:22:57Chair Boozman: Congress provided at the end of last year and provided a bridge to ensure producers could plan again this year, delivering the economic assistance to our farmers would be one of the tasks you will be facing as secretary. As I mentioned, this was only a bridge that was necessary because the safety net our producers have counted on in the past no longer works.
▶ 0:23:20Chair Boozman: I look forward to working with my colleagues in this room and across the senate and with you to create a farm bill that meets the realities of martin date -- of modern-day agriculture. I believe our bruisers want -- our producers want an improved relationship with usda.
▶ 0:23:42Chair Boozman: They want to know usda has their back and has the tools needed to successfully farm a ranch rather than forcing them into production practices that do not work. They want new markets and new opportunities to sell what they produce and they want conservation programs to help with the issues they are facing on farms. They want communities to have the infrastructure and resources for a high quality of life. Usda with the right leadership can do all of these things.
▶ 0:24:15Chair Boozman: Beyond agricultural production usda is land manager, research institution, protector of animal health and rural lender. There is very little the usda does not touch or have an impact on. All of these resources and abilities can be used to improve the quality of life, not only in rural america but all of america.
▶ 0:24:41Chair Boozman: It is clear the needs of american farmers, ranchers, and rural communities will be her focus. It is also clear she has relationships across the new administration and an understanding of the processes in which decisions are made in the executive branch to best position producers for success.
▶ 0:25:01Chair Boozman: I look forward to seeing her bring her considerable skills and abilities to bear for the benefit of our farmers ranchers and rural communities. I now recognize ranking member klobuchar.
▶ 0:25:18Sen. Klobuchar: Thank you very much. We welcome you, miss rollins. -- we welcome you, Ms. rollins and your entire family that seems to take up 10 rose and your ffa officers and your ag teacher. I want to thank chairman boozman for holding this hearing and thank you to our colleagues from texas who are here.
▶ 0:25:46Sen. Klobuchar: Senator boozman and I have been friends and colleagues for years and as you noted you came to visit my state. We did not consider that cold that day in may, we considered it a beach day with a touch of snow. I want to thank you for visiting with our farmers and ranchers and conservation and nutrition leaders in our state. I also look forward to working with you to be a voice for rural america.
▶ 0:26:15Sen. Klobuchar: All of our colleagues are incredible voices for rural america. I told our democratic leaders on this committee how excited I am about the people on this committee and I believe we will work really well together. I want to mention our friend and colleague senator stabenow for her 14 years of leadership of this committee.
▶ 0:26:36Sen. Klobuchar: She is now retired from this committee but whether it was passing farm bill's, standing up for conservation bills or making sure there was food on the table she was always at the forefront of the fight. I would like to thank all of our returning members as well as the new senators on the committee senator mentioned. Senator schiff and senator slotkin have already been strong participants in the discussions we have been having.
▶ 0:27:05Sen. Klobuchar: And senator moran as well as senator justice. We are looking forward to continuing the strong tradition of bipartisanship. Ms. rollins, thank you for being here. I enjoyed our previous discussions and I look forward to the hearing today and hearing from you about your plans for the future. I know you and your family. I just talk to your mom about it.
▶ 0:27:32Sen. Klobuchar: I have had a farm in minnesota for years and I hope you will be visiting our state soon. The secretary of agriculture is a voice for rural america within the president's cabinet. If rural america will prosper it will be important to have a secretary who will address the challenges facing farmers and rural families, who see the importance of nutrition and conservation and will work with us and a bipartisan farm bill.
▶ 0:27:59Sen. Klobuchar: We have made progress on so many fronts, from strengthening crop insurance to improving voluntary conservation programs to the good work we have done on biofuels across the aisle. There are still numerous challenges faces america, avian flu, struggling dairy producers, droughts, wildfires, scarcity of food and the lack of childcare housing and health care
▶ 0:28:29Sen. Klobuchar: Facilities in rural america. I am concerned about proposed policies from the administration and while I have always supported targeted tariffs I am concerned that major across-the-board tariff increases could hurt rural america.
▶ 0:29:01Sen. Klobuchar: I hope if confirmed you'll make the case for sensible trade policy that will work for our farmers and rural america. We also need members of the usda that believe in science and research. I know many of our members will be asking on that front. As the ranking member I am committed to doing what is right for rural america which means finding common ground if we can but standing our ground when we must. In minnesota our prosperity depends on the strength and vitality of our rural community.
▶ 0:29:24Sen. Klobuchar: Farmers and livestock producers need access to safety net programs with weather conditions threatening all the time and rural businesses cannot spur innovation and create jobs without an available workforce, which I think will be an issue we will be confronting this year, as well as childcare, health care, housing, and broadband.
▶ 0:29:47Sen. Klobuchar: I know this is true not just for me but for all members of the committee and I look forward to the hearing today and to learning more about your plans for the department of agriculture. Thank you very much and thank you to our colleagues.
▶ 0:30:00Chair Boozman: To date we have been joined by our colleagues from texas to introduce our nominee. Thank you all for being here. Please proceed. >> thank you chairman boozman and ranking member klobuchar. I am delighted to be here along with my colleague senator cruz to introduce our friend brooke rollins to be the next secretary of the U.S. department of agriculture. This is a no-brainer.
▶ 0:30:32Chair Boozman: Everybody who knows brooke rollins loves brooke rollins and you will too once you get to know her. I first met brooke years ago serving in state government in texas but it was when she was the policy director for then governor rick perry that I begin to see what a truly dedicated public servant she was and still is.
▶ 0:30:59Chair Boozman: Since the time from reading her resume you know she has an impressive career and I'm delighted to be here to help introduce you. She was born and raised in glenrose, texas. For those of you who've not pulled out your map to see where that is it is about one hour southwest of fort worth. She brings first-hand experience to the often difficult realities of farm life to the department of agriculture.
▶ 0:31:28Chair Boozman: She graduated from texas a&m school of agriculture leadership, education, and communication. I thought I heard a whoop somehw ere. [cheers] texas is home to nearly 230,000 farms and ranches, more than every other -- more than any other state in the country and one in seven texans works in an agriculture related job. This is critical to our state and the nation.
▶ 0:31:58Chair Boozman: Brooke's agricultural roots will serve her well as secretary of agriculture to give farmers and producers from the lone star state and across the country a clarion voice when it comes to president trump's cabinet. Ms. rollins's credentials go beyond the day-to-day intricacies of forming. She is also a law school graduate and a policy wonk. She will confess to that during this hearing today.
▶ 0:32:29Chair Boozman: That is demonstrated by her years of service as general counsel to governor perry and her 15 years eating one of texas's premier policy institute , the texas public policy foundation. It was during president trump's first administration she served as director of the domestic policy council. Many of us worked with her closely where she assisted jared kushner in that job.
▶ 0:32:56Chair Boozman: You know that position is responsible for coordinating the domestic policy of the white house and ensure decisions and programs are consistent with the president's goals and overseeing the implementation of the president's domestic policy agenda.
▶ 0:33:17Chair Boozman: Since her time in the first trump administration she has served as president and ceo of america first public policy institute where she helped craft the agenda for president trump second term. I've worked with brooke in a number of roles and seen her as she has helped advance bipartisan legislation in austin and here in the nation's capital and I know she will bring that experience and that temperament to her job at usda.
▶ 0:33:46Chair Boozman: It is a good thing because she has her job cut out for her. Congress has failed to pass the five year farm bill and I know that is priority number one for this committee. She will have an opportunity to work with each of you to shape this critical legislation that farmers and ranchers across the country depend on and has been alluded by senator klobuchar, the disasters we have experienced throughout the country have hit farm country particularly hard and I know she
▶ 0:34:17Chair Boozman: Will work hard with you and all of us to make sure we provide an essential lifeline to our farmers and ranchers. As coached upper ville knows, the texas a&m football team which brooke is a devoted fan says their student body is the 12th man that propels them to victory. I know brooke is on her to step up now and become the 12th woman for the farmers and ranchers of america.
▶ 0:34:48Chair Boozman: I am looking forward to working with her and with all of you to pass the farm bill and put farmers back where they deserve to be and that is first and foremost in our policy deliberations. I have no doubt brooke is exactly the person for the job to implement president trump's agenda at usda. It is my honor to be here with all of you and her family and a multitude of friends, even her high school ag feature is here.
▶ 0:35:21Chair Boozman: Everybody who knows brooke loves brooke and I know you will too. Thank you for allowing me to be here and say a few words.
▶ 0:35:28Chair Boozman: Senator cruz?
▶ 0:35:32Sen. Cruz: Thank you chairman boozman and ranking member klobuchar. Let me start by saying that what senator cornyn said is absolutely right. This is a no-brainer. Brooke rollins as nominee to be secretary of agriculture is an extraordinary choice night absolute confidence every member of this committee will be very happy working with her in that role in the next four years.
▶ 0:35:59Sen. Cruz: I've been friends with brooke for over two decades, from when she was policy director for then governor rick perry to when she led the texas public policy foundation, which became the preeminent free-market estate foundation in the country to win she came to washington -- to when she came to washington to lead the domestic policy council to more recent years leading the america first policy institute.
▶ 0:36:30Sen. Cruz: Every state she has proven herself to be a leader, she has proven herself to be an innovative policy thinker, and she has proven herself able to bring people together to accomplish major objectives. All of those skills will serve her and the farmers and ranchers of america exceptionally well.
▶ 0:36:51Sen. Cruz: To know brooke is to know she is an aggie and all aggies are members of a cult, which I say from a place of deep love. I am convinced if you were to cut brooke's hand it would not lead read but it would bleed maroon onto this table. She brings that ferocity to everything she does.
▶ 0:37:20Sen. Cruz: She brings creativity, she brings joy. Brooke is always smiling. She is smiling because she has a vision of where to take us. She grew up in a small agricultural community, glenrose, texas. Her summers were spent at her family's minnesota farm helping with the corn, potato, and soybean crops.
▶ 0:37:46Sen. Cruz: The level of foresight to kiss up to the ranking member as a young child is impressive. Her experiencing -- her experience in barrel racing -- to anyone who knows barrel racers, yes they are crazy -- and raising livestock for 4-h and future farmers of america installed in her a profound appreciation for the challenges
▶ 0:38:16Sen. Cruz: And rewards of life in agriculture. Farmers and ranchers in america right now face extraordinary challenges. Challenges putting their livelihood at risk, putting their families at risk, putting the ability to provide food and fiber and clothing for the american people at genuine risk.
▶ 0:38:38Sen. Cruz: Farmers and ranchers of this nation, the farmers and ranchers of the great state of texas are looking to this committee for leadership and they are looking to the next secretary of agriculture for leadership.
▶ 0:38:53Sen. Cruz: In texas and south texas, we face historic droughts and yet our neighbor, the nation of mexico, is in brazen violation of the 1944 water treaty that obligates it to provide water each year to the people of south texas.
▶ 0:39:10Sen. Cruz: I have no doubt that soon to be secretary rollins will be a ferocious advocate for those south texas farmers just as she is a ferocious advocate for farmers and ranchers and every one of your states and across the country. She is going to be an extraordinary and historic secretary of agriculture. I am proud to join john cornyn and supporting my friend brooke rollins and I encourage you to do so.
▶ 0:39:37Chair Boozman: Thank you, senator cruz. And thank you senator cornyn for being here. I would now like to recognize our nominee, brooke rollins to introduce some of her guests before I administer the oath and she gives her opening statement.
▶ 0:40:04Ms. Rollins: Morning, everyone. What a joy to be here. Wow. A little surreal and slightly overwhelming, the two gentlemen sitting up here whom I have known for a long time. I want to thank them. I appreciate senator boozman the opportunity to introduce them.
▶ 0:40:28Ms. Rollins: My awesome mom, whose new issue -- the oldest freshman legislator in texas history. Raised my sisters and me by herself in that small town and pfas's her baked issue. I know a lot of you are concerned with that.
▶ 0:40:48Ms. Rollins: My incredible husband, mark rollins, we met the first week of our freshman year at texas a&m in 1990 and our four children are here. Luke is the oldest. He is a sophomore at texas a&m university in the corps of cadets and left college station at 1:30 last night, 1:30 to drive all night and catch a flight in dallas and be here this morning.
▶ 0:41:19Ms. Rollins: Grateful to him and my other incredible children, even though they are all teenagers, it has been the joy and most important part of my life being their mom. My sisters, my niece, my sister-in-law and brother in law. My incredible ag teacher who I would like to stand up, this is Mr. gary rosen bush, who put up from a lot -- who put up with a lot.
▶ 0:41:50Ms. Rollins: I have often said that future farmers of america changed my life and put me on a course that leads me to today. He was a big part of that. A lot of people know I take great pride in my short but very successful life as a little league softball coach. My daughter lily was the catcher on the team but most of the rest of the team also flew in last night. The hot tamales from texas are here. Thank you for being here.
▶ 0:42:26Ms. Rollins: My 1990-1991 state ffa officer team from all parts of texas, there were 10 of us. The other nine all came. Ag teachers, insurance agents, workers of the land, they are all here. What a joy to have my state if fa officers here. -- my state ffa officers here.
▶ 0:42:53Ms. Rollins: One other person, pastor franklin of georgia who has been such lin of georgia who has been such ann of georgia who has been such an of georgia who has been such an inspiration who has been such an inspiration flew as been such an inspiration flew all een such an inspiration flew all the way in to pray my family and I. Pastor franklin, I want to thank you as well. Thank you. I have so many texas friends and other family that are here that I will wrap it up and say what an incredible honor to have all of them behind me today.
▶ 0:43:17Chair Boozman: That is great. That is wonderful. Please stand and raise your right hand. You swear or affirm the statement you are about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you god. Do you agree that if confirmed to respond to requests to appear and testify before any committee of the senate?
▶ 0:43:48Chair Boozman: Congratulations on your nomination. You are recognized for five minutes to give your opening statement.
▶ 0:43:56Ms. Rollins: Thank you. Chairman boozman, ranking member klobuchar, distinguished members of this committee, first thanks to president donald trump for his faith in me to lead the department of agriculture. His confidence feels my determination to deliver. I also want to thank my friends and fellow texans john cornyn and ted cruz so graciously introducing me to this committee.
▶ 0:44:23Ms. Rollins: I also want to extend my sincere thanks to all of you, united states senate committee on agriculture, nutrition, and forestry for your careful consideration of my nomination and understand and most importantly I want to thank and am so overwhelmed at the honor to potentially serve the men and women who daily provide our great nation and the world with the best food, fiber, and fuel.
▶ 0:44:53Ms. Rollins: Throughout the next several weeks I have met and spoken with every republican and democrat senator on this committee and I appreciate your insight and concerns and wise counsel. It is clear we all agree that farmers and ranchers are the cornerstone of our nations communities and I commit to you today that if confirmed I will do everything in my ability to make sure our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities thrive.
▶ 0:45:25Ms. Rollins: I also want to thank the many senators on capitol hill with whom I've had the incredible opportunity to work with during these last two decades, in my time with governor rick perry and then leading the texas public policy foundation and my various roles in the trump administration and since 2021 in my role founding and leading the america first policy institute. Each of you cares deeply about the american people we all serve and I promise my work will reflect that commitment.
▶ 0:45:55Ms. Rollins: Growing up in the small ag town of glen rose, texas, population 1200 people is where my story begins. My world revolved around the future farmers of america, 4-h, and the endless cycle of baling hay, livestock shows, and rodeos. That still constitutes the calendar of our small corner of texas.
▶ 0:46:22Ms. Rollins: That sent me to texas and menem -- to texas a&m on an agricultural scholarship and then on to the university of texas law school right graduated with honors and performed a federal judicial clerkship and then to helm the policy shop of texas governor rick perry. It was there I had my first direct leadership role in big state ag policy.
▶ 0:46:48Ms. Rollins: I had been in office serving rick perry for two years when I received a call, small think tank in san antonio asked if I would be interested in being their new leader and I answered that call as well, thinking that as my husband and I built our family that would be helpful and a good potential opportunity to be a great mom but also continue the fight for texas.
▶ 0:47:13Ms. Rollins: Over the next 15 years we fundamentally redefined the mission of a think tank from having ideas or writing about them in white papers to actually effectually changing policy for the people of our state. Engaged strongly with rural and small-town communities, giving them a voice in government too often denied. In short we change the game in texas.
▶ 0:47:41Ms. Rollins: Changing the game is exactly why I accepted the invitation to join president trump's first administration at the beginning of 2018. Everything we had sought to do in texas those last decades to make policy for real change in real texans was being done in the first trump administration and I was so honored and excited to be part of it. I joined first to the white house office of american innovation as its leader.
▶ 0:48:08Ms. Rollins: I then became the assistant to the president on strategic initiatives and eventually added the role of the director of domestic policy council. In january 2021, exactly four years ago, we understood that president trump's second term agenda would be delayed so I had the privilege and the idea of establishing another institution of policy leadership in the america first policy institute was born.
▶ 0:48:38Ms. Rollins: I currently serve as the president and ceo there. Thanks to president trump and all of you I hope to have the opportunity to bring that level of passion and commitment to the usda. I need not tell you of all people that this is surpassingly important because agriculture is surpassingly important to us as a nation. All americans are important but the farmer, the worker of the land who feeds all of the others as amongst the most notable.
▶ 0:49:08Ms. Rollins: Thomas jefferson wrote that agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will -- I don't want to get his quote wrong -- because it will in the end contribute the most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness. His wisdom holds true today. I recognize that if I'm confirmed I am stepping into the role during one of the most economically challenging times in american agricultural history.
▶ 0:49:38Ms. Rollins: With that in mind I want to share with you as I close my top priorities for day one and perhaps longer term priorities. First, we must ensure that the disaster economic assistance authorized by congress is deployed as quickly as possible.
▶ 0:49:56Ms. Rollins: We must work with the great men and women of usda and state leaders, my deep background and state policy to immediately and comprehensively get a handle on the state of animal disease outbreaks. We must immediately begin to modernize and rethink the united states department of agriculture, responding to the clear needs and desires of the american people as set forth so well by the president of the united states over this last historic week.
▶ 0:50:26Ms. Rollins: Finally and longer-term we understand that serving all american agriculture and all the american people means ensuring that our rural communities are equipped and supported to prosper not just today but tomorrow and the day after that and the many tomorrows to come.
▶ 0:50:47Ms. Rollins: This includes exploring improvements to our rural development programs, demanding strong and steady domestic export markets for our beautiful agricultural bounty, illuminating burdensome and costly regulations that hamper innovation. Ensuring our nutrition programs are effective and efficient and putting in the work to ensure we have a healthy and prepared next generation of farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and all americans.
▶ 0:51:17Ms. Rollins: This is what we need for the next century of american greatness. These are just four of my top priorities. Beyond these I am dedicated and committed to providing all of you with the timely technical assistance we will need to ensure we have a farm bill that moves forward. My aim is the same as yours, the same that brought you to the senate, the same that brought donald j. Trump to the presidency again, and that is to serve the people and this great country.
▶ 0:51:48Ms. Rollins: Thank you senator and thank you ranking member klobuchar.
▶ 0:51:49Chair Boozman: Thank you for your opening statement. As is customary my college that I would like to ask you some questions. Each senator will have seven minutes during this first round. If we need an additional round there will be five minutes. Before I asked my questions I would like to add other letters in support of Ms. rollins.
▶ 0:52:15Chair Boozman: In particular I would like to highlight one letter signed by the farm bureau, the farmers union, the national council farmers cooperatives, and more than 400 other agricultural organizations. In your written statement you alluded to the testimony you just provided you talked about your focus.
▶ 0:52:45Chair Boozman: Can you expand on that a little bit more? The first 100 days, what can we expect?
▶ 0:52:50Ms. Rollins: I think the first 100 days will be a fast and furious effort to ensure we move that economic aid out. When I got the call from the president about this particular position it was the honor of a lifetime to accept that call and accept the nomination.
▶ 0:53:13Ms. Rollins: About five minutes later I started thinking about what do I do to make this successful and the best most effective department of agriculture in united states history since president lincoln launched this department. Aid to the farmers, top priority. Ensuring we move towards president trump's vision. I am his cabinet member.
▶ 0:53:36Ms. Rollins: Also working alongside all of you and so many of the conversations we had over the last 36 weeks from both republicans and democrats were very encouraging to me. I believe there is an opportunity -- while there will be moments of disagreement I have no doubt that there will also be many moments of agreement.
▶ 0:53:58Ms. Rollins: Chairman boozman, my thought is we get in there anyone who knows me and has worked with me knows that excellence is not only the goal but the expectation that we move with rapid speed to ensure it gets done.
▶ 0:54:14Ms. Rollins: That we were 24 hours a day, seven days a week for our constituents and at the end of the day this country and that community is thriving in a way they never have before because of the work and the foresight and the bowls and the vision that I think is so important -- and the goals and the vision I think is so important.
▶ 0:54:35Chair Boozman: I appreciate you bringing up disaster assistance. This committee worked in a bipartisan way to get that done. It took a lot of work. We were able to get that done in a very bipartisan way. What we've heard about from our farmers now is thank you for doing it. We can try to figure things out.
▶ 0:55:05Chair Boozman: Last year farmers lost a lot of money. That is music to all of our years. -- to all of our ears. Trade is vitally important to american agriculture.
▶ 0:55:22Chair Boozman: Can you describe how the president's trade agenda will prioritize the needs of american farmers for our trading partners -- how the administration minimize the impact our producers.
▶ 0:55:37Ms. Rollins: I am glad this is at the top of the next few hours because I think it is on the mind of every member of this committee and every member of the ag community across this great nation. The first thing that is important to note is in the last few years we have almost a $45 billion trade deficit for our ag products, so a key priority would be expanding access to these markets across the country. We have been vision boarding.
▶ 0:56:08Ms. Rollins: I want to make sure I am able to hit the ground running. How it is we begin to immediately effectuate bringing down the $45 billion trade deficit. It is just 42% in the last year. There is a deep recognition that core prices are down 35% in the last year as well and our farmers are hurting.
▶ 0:56:34Ms. Rollins: Regarding the president's tariff agenda it comes as no surprise to anyone sitting in this room that he believes it is a very important tool in his toolkit to continue or bring america back to the forefront of the world and to ensure we have a thriving economy. Just as he did and we did in the first administration he also understands the potential devastating impact to our farmers and our ranchers. During that time I've spoken with secretary perdue a few times on how that was managed.
▶ 0:57:06Ms. Rollins: I fully understand. We are prepared to execute something similar if approved. Also working with the white house to ensure we can close those holes for our farmers and ranchers moving forward under any sort of tariff execution in the next coming days or a few years. That will be a top priority of mine.
▶ 0:57:28Chair Boozman: Hunger is an issue we continue to face. My home state of arkansas has the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation. You will be responsible for leading 16 nutrition programs. These programs make up the vast majority of the department.
▶ 0:57:51Chair Boozman: In spite of these programs which have grown substantially the national food insecurity rate has hovered around 12% since 2000, even during times of economic prosperity. The goal of these programs is to divide temporary assistance with a focus on moving families to a place of economic independence.
▶ 0:58:16Chair Boozman: Will you commit to reviewing these programs to ensure they help incentivize americans to trust their federal supplement assistance can be relied on.
▶ 0:58:28Ms. Rollins: I appreciate your concern and focus on this incredibly important program. I think sometimes people on our side of the aisle are framed as those that do not care as much about the kids or those who are hurting or those from disadvantaged communities.
▶ 0:58:48Ms. Rollins: I know I have spent my career working to ensure every corner of america that everyone has a shot at the american dream, first with rick perry then with my think tank and then with president trump and then with the america first policy group. I have a heart for this work and I have talked to many of you about that in your offices. That is perhaps driven by being raised in a small town by a single mom. We did not have much.
▶ 0:59:19Ms. Rollins: We never participated in the nutrition program but I am fully aware and have a heart for this work in this community that is easy to make the commitment to ensure we are doing everything we can, that this supplemental program continues on a course of being effective and efficient.
▶ 0:59:37Ms. Rollins: It is also imperative to us that every taxpayer dollar that is spent in support of these programs we fully understand it is reaching its intended recipient, that that recipient is able to use it effectively and efficiently for true nutrition reasons that we have a real health issue in this country. Four out of five children are facing obesity or close to it. The level of diabetes and chronic diseases continue to rise.
▶ 1:00:08Ms. Rollins: Weed together and myself -- we together and myself if ordinate to be confirmed will have a major role in all of the above, ensuring these programs are serving those who need them and doing it effectively but also ensuring the taxpayers are being well served, that the dollar we take from my electrician in fort worth who has his own small business and sending it to a family in need, that that dollar is being used in the best and most effective way. That is certainly my commitment to you chairman.
▶ 1:00:38Chair Boozman: Thank you. Senator klobuchar?
▶ 1:00:42Sen. Klobuchar: Welcome Ms. rollins. As we both noted, this committee has worked together on a bipartisan way to pass farm bill's in the past, improve the farm safety net, stand up for conservation, nutrition, food security. Will you be a force for working with both sides of the aisle?
▶ 1:01:03Ms. Rollins: Thank you so much senator klobuchar for that question. It is exceedingly important to me that we deliver for american farmers and ranchers, exceedingly. I have already begun to lose some sleep over how to make that happen in a way that is productive in supporting your work. I have a long history of working in a bipartisan manner.
▶ 1:01:32Ms. Rollins: It may not be at the forefront of my bio or my resume but I worked with many of you in the last administration on the first step at which I believe was perhaps the hallmark of president trump 1.0 in bipartisan work together.
▶ 1:01:48Ms. Rollins: I sat in an office for many hours with senator durbin, senator grassley, senator booker, senator scott and many others from both sides as we hammered out how to solve the criminal justice challenges and I hope to bring that same skill set and knowledge base and relationships to this effort as well.
▶ 1:02:11Sen. Klobuchar: I appreciate that you mentioned animal disease as well as -- as one of your lead priorities as well as the disaster economic assistance. As you know and unite discussed this come in 2022 the most recent outbreak of avian flu has demonstrated poultry producers, spread to dairy cattle and resulted in at least one death. We are starting to see increases in prices attributable to that.
▶ 1:02:38Sen. Klobuchar: If confirmed how will you ensure that farmers have the resources they need to combat the spread of this virus. What is your plan?
▶ 1:02:47Ms. Rollins: There is no doubt that the community in whom we all work for, that community, not just america but the entire world relies on an abundant, safe, and secure food supply. Just learning of the devastation in georgia over the last few weeks with the poultry outbreak in the depopulation there of our poultry.
▶ 1:03:17Ms. Rollins: To your point about dairy, it has been infecting some of the dairy herds across 16 states. There is a lot I have to learn on this. If confirmed this will be one of the top priorities. We are hyper focused on finding the team. I assure they are already working. I have respected the process and not gotten too involved.
▶ 1:03:44Ms. Rollins: I know the current team and future team will be working hand-in-hand to do everything we cannot animal disease. My deep background working in state policy included working very closely with governor's office across this great country and in the last white house I took it upon myself, which is where I met a few of our governors who are now here to work closely and in concert and
▶ 1:04:14Ms. Rollins: Aligned with republican and democratic leadership.
▶ 1:04:17Sen. Klobuchar: I will go a little bit quicker. Just yesterday the administration announced they will halt external public health communications from the cdc on the avian flu animal diseases and these important announcements have helped keep producers up-to-date with the latest information on disease spread, the health of workers. While I know that was not under the usda I urge you to talk to them about that.
▶ 1:04:48Sen. Klobuchar: Biofuels, I appreciated our discussion on that. When you served as the ceo of the texas public policy foundation your organization was often critical on biofuels, including ethanol. As you know we have worked hard to make this so we do not just have one fuel, that we have options, including with senator ernst and senator fischer and senator grassley and many others. What role do you believe biofuels play in our domestic energy production?
▶ 1:05:20Sen. Klobuchar: How will you continue to promote the production of these fuels?
▶ 1:05:22Ms. Rollins: I appreciate you bringing that up. It is my understanding those reports were written over a decade ago. I have not seen anything more recent. Texas public policy foundation puts out 900 to 1000 pieces of content a year. I did not author that piece. There is 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.
▶ 1:05:53Ms. Rollins: I've spoken with them a view on both sides of the aisle on this issue. I will be a secretary for all agriculture. It is important to me we continue to defend and elevate and honor all sources of fuel. My former boss and current boss in his current energy dominance plan included biofuels as an important piece of his agenda. I look forward to continuing that.
▶ 1:06:17Sen. Klobuchar: I know your family based on those forms that your family has significant financial interests in the oil industry. Will these interests motivate decisions you make at the department if they impact your family's financial holdings?
▶ 1:06:36Ms. Rollins: I can promise you this. You and I have met a few times over the years and had in-depth discussions but not as many as I would like. Anyone that has ever worked with me will tell you even to the detriment of organizations I have run, to the detriment to my family, I have never made decision based on financial interests, ever, and that certainly will not begin now.
▶ 1:07:04Sen. Klobuchar: Thank you. You discussed briefly with senator boozman the export market. I appreciate you mentioned that in your long-term focus on exports. During the first trump administration we heard resounding calls from farmers that they want trade, not aid. They want to grow their market and not just get government payment.
▶ 1:07:30Sen. Klobuchar: We have worked hard on this committee to help farmers build markets abroad. Senator hoeven and I have set up an export center. How would you work with president trump, the office of the U.S.
▶ 1:07:45Sen. Klobuchar: Trade rep and others within the administration to ensure they understand the effects of potential retaliatory tariffs on american farmers and how will you help to manage this risk and beyond just getting extra payments to make up for it, will you be a voice to make sure people understand the importance of exports for rural america? It is not just farming, it is also manufacturing.
▶ 1:08:11Ms. Rollins: That is correct. I believe the extraordinary value I bring to this table having served in the last white house for three years right alongside president trump, I believe I may be the most well-versed in how the interagency process works, of how discussions are handled come of what the oval office meetings look like and how to ensure that in every corner my team, that
▶ 1:08:44Ms. Rollins: Our community, that what we represent together is at the table fighting for what we believe is necessary for these communities.
▶ 1:08:51Sen. Klobuchar: I have some important questions for the second round on conservation and nutrition and I know mike collins will be asking them as well. Thank you.
▶ 1:09:03Chair Boozman: Senator mccollum. Simple mccollum congratulations -- Sen. mcconnell: I had a chance to tell you that kentucky agriculture is little different. It is forms. Most of them are small.
▶ 1:09:33Chair Boozman: I want to echo what others have said around trade. I went over to the trade representative on the floor of the house the big speech and introduced myself and I said do you have anything to do? She basically did not have an answer.
▶ 1:09:56Chair Boozman: It seems to me that trade has become a word for a lot of americans that implies exportation of jobs. In kentucky we think of trade as exportation of progress. It is an extremely important part of what we do.
▶ 1:10:24Chair Boozman: Both of the candidates in the last election shied away from this issue. As others have said, give us some hope that maybe we can get back in the trade business. We would need trade promotion authority which we currently do not have. I would be interested in your thoughts further about this.
▶ 1:10:47Ms. Rollins: Thank you, senator mcconnell. It was an honor to be in your office and talk a little bit about kentucky bourbon and a few other important things. It is the first time I ever heard someone say president trump has shied away from anything.
▶ 1:11:04Ms. Rollins: I do not recall anything specific about him not talking about trade, other than perhaps to your point that our country and especially our ag community is in a tough spot with regards to exports and moving our products out. I know the usmca is back up for negotiation along with other trade agreements and here is what I am very encouraged by and I hope it gives you encouragement as well.
▶ 1:11:34Ms. Rollins: In my almost nine years with president trump at the end of the day we know him to be the consummate dealmaker. I believe that skill and that intense focus on making deals for his people, not only for -- but for the bag community -- for the ag community that supported him from the beginning.
▶ 1:12:04Ms. Rollins: He knows these are the people that have been with him the longest and I believe that if I do my job and working with all of you to ensure the white house and our partners across the agencies have all of the data they need while at the same time working across the world to bring in new trade partners to expand access for new trade products for the specialty crops or the livestock industry.
▶ 1:12:35Ms. Rollins: I believe as the president mentioned that we are embarking on a golden age and I believe this will be a very big part of that.
▶ 1:12:43Sen. Mcconnell: I want to shift to something kentucky specific we discussed in the office. Back in 2020 through the appropriations process I managed to allocate $65 million agricultural research service lab at the kentucky college of agriculture. That was four or five years ago.
▶ 1:13:13Sen. Mcconnell: Nothing has happened yet. What did happen? There were a number of different regulatory trip wires that got injected into the process and in meeting those, trying to meet those regulatory trip wires slowed everything down. I want to see construction begin. The money is there.
▶ 1:13:44Sen. Mcconnell: What can you tell me?
▶ 1:13:46Ms. Rollins: We did discuss this. Another passion of mine that has been mentioned is my love for texas a&m and the ag school and the research facilities. I am excited to get knee deep, neck deep in these facilities across the country.
▶ 1:14:12Ms. Rollins: I know we also had discussions with other senators that have similar concerns with different facilities they would like to see move more quickly. Senator mcconnell, I commit to you that we will immediately begin digging in on what is happening. A big part of my portfolio in the last administration was the president's deregulation agenda and understanding how certain regulations and rules hampered important projects for moving forward and opening up markets.
▶ 1:14:42Ms. Rollins: I believe that with the right team in place and with your quick confirmation of some of those other secretaries that we will be able to figure out what is happening, work with you and others from kentucky to figure out what is going on and figure -- to figure out how to move this forward.
▶ 1:15:09Sen. Mcconnell: The previous regulation was -- administration was big about regulations across the board. I think they should all be looked at. I think that's what a new administration tends to do. Thank you.
▶ 1:15:23Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator. I agree with that and look forward to working with you in person.
▶ 1:15:28Chair Boozman: Senator?
▶ 1:15:38Sen. Bennet: Your opening statements captured the spirit of what this committee is supposed to be about, the congress where we have worked well together. I want to say how much I appreciate your leadership today. The two of you. And thank you also for mentioning chairman stabenow, who did a great job for a long time. Congratulations to you. Mrs.
▶ 1:16:04Sen. Bennet: Rollins, you mentioned in your answer just now that senator mcconnell -- this is not a question I was going to ask, you said we all recognize agriculture is in a tough place when it comes to exports. We do all recognize that. Could you elaborate more on that? I would love to hear your perspective on the whole many of us feel we are in right now as we get ready to think about what trade policies are going to be of this administration and of the country.
▶ 1:16:36Mrs. Rollins: Thank you. I loved our conversation about your beautiful colorado. I would welcome that. We do spend some time there in somers, as good texans do. I will look forward to seeing you next time I get out of the heat. In the last handful of years, we have gone from not having a trade deficit in our agricultural communities to having $845 billion trade deficit.
▶ 1:17:06Mrs. Rollins: That has led to many challenges, including food inflation. When I have heard president trump talk about his priorities, the first is the border, which I guess we will get into at some point. The second was food inflation. There are many tools in our toolkit, both through usda and expanding markets,, which are all intertwined to hopefully get that deficit down to zero.
▶ 1:17:39Sen. Bennet: That deficit, we know, is being caused by a strong dollars. It is competition, limitations on our beef supply. Prices are going up. These are -- I don't think these particularly our failures of trade policy. It is making is hard for us to export, which is what senator mcconnell's concern was, which I share.
▶ 1:18:09Sen. Bennet: I think all of us understand it. I will say in many ways I am some pathetic to some of the trade policies that president trump is trying to advocate for. But agriculture is already in a tough spot for those reasons, I think largely. And we don't want it to be in a tougher spot as a result of what happens here. I think when you were in my office, you talked a little bit -- this is going to be the easiest question that you get.
▶ 1:18:41Sen. Bennet: I can only take 15 seconds to answer and then go on to the next. What is your responsibility as secretary of agriculture to come into the oval office and say you have not thought through the unintended consequences that are going to flow to american agriculture as you pursue these trade policies?
▶ 1:19:01Mrs. Rollins: In 15 seconds, my role is to defend, to elevate our entire agriculture community in the oval office to the interagency process, and to ensure that every decision made in the coming four years has that front of mind as those decisions are being made.
▶ 1:19:22Sen. Bennet: What senator klobuchar said -- we have heard from our mentors over and over again that they want to be able to work, able to export, any aid to make up for what they should have been able to send. The only growth that my formers and man -- and ranchers can see in the foreseeable future, their lifeblood, is by growing our exports. I appreciate your understanding that.
▶ 1:19:51Sen. Bennet: We are counting on you if you are in this job to be that advocate. We also had the chance when you were in my office to talk a little bit about something I have focused on here the entire time, and on this committee, which is the state of our national forests throughout the U.S.. I know you know this.
▶ 1:20:10Sen. Bennet: They are incredibly important to us because every single community that we have, no matter how big and no matter how small -- every farm and ranch that we have is downstream from these snowpacks, and downstream from these national forests, and the condition of these national forests. They are national forests for a reason. They are national forests. The condition is untenable and dangerous.
▶ 1:20:39Sen. Bennet: I've told chuck schumer -- he does not necessarily agree with me, what I have pulled him over and over again that these forests are more important infrastructure, from our perspective, and the lincoln tunnel is to new york. If the lincoln tunnel is closed, there are other things you can do. He may not agree with that. But if we lose our water, we lose everything in the west.
▶ 1:21:04Sen. Bennet: Coloradans are watching what is going on now in california with broken hearts because of what is happening there. We have seen it happen at a much smaller scale, but still universal in our state with things like the marshall fire.
▶ 1:21:21Sen. Bennet: I wonder if you could talk a little bit about the importance of these national parks and what you think of the stewardship, whether or not we should be considering the fact that if we wait to fight these fires, it costs $50,000 an acre to fight them, whereas if we do the work on the front-end, think people to work in our national forests, it costs $1400 an acre to do it. I would love to hear your perspective on this.
▶ 1:21:50Mrs. Rollins: Senator, I'm so glad you brought this up, and I believe senator schiff and I spoke about this in his office a week or two ago. They were facing an unimaginable experience in california. And I am really excited to tackle this problem. I don't pretend to even know the beginnings of it. I've just started studying it.
▶ 1:22:17Mrs. Rollins: But it seems to me, after speaking with you and others on the committee and getting to learn first of all that the great undersecretary identified the quicker we can get him confirmed, the quicker we can really begin this hard work ahead. And my husband's family owns a little cabin right on the edge of the national forest in colorado. I have spent the past 25 years enjoying the national forest and the extraordinary beeri -- beauty they bring to our people.
▶ 1:22:49Mrs. Rollins: But the water is a massive issue. People depend on the water that is under the land in colorado. I do believe -- people call me a pathological optimist. The pathological optimist in me sincerely believes that we can fix this, and we can fix it fairly quickly with the right team in place, working with all of you who have watched it, and frustrated by it, and want an answer.
▶ 1:23:19Chair Boozman: Senator?
▶ 1:23:35Sen. Hoeven: We have worked on many things in the past together, and I look forward to working with you in the future. We are fortunate in these roles. Good to see you again. Thanks for coming to visit. You obviously have an awesome family.
▶ 1:23:51Mrs. Rollins: The best. The best.
▶ 1:23:55Sen. Hoeven: Thanks for your husband being here, and your kids. And no one will ever love you the way your mom does. That is pretty awesome.
▶ 1:24:02Mrs. Rollins: She is missing an important vote in texas to sit behind me today. Really great of her.
▶ 1:24:11Sen. Hoeven: Again, fantastic family. We mention all this talk about a&m. Did I mention when we talked that my wife went to ut?
▶ 1:24:20Mrs. Rollins: And I gave my sincerest condolences. [laughter]
▶ 1:24:28Sen. Hoeven: I'm wearing my north dakota state university tie today. I know we talked about them, but we do have an incredible school of agriculture at north dakota state university. We are doing some awesome things. We have a project called grand farm. Sonny perdue came out and cut the ribbon on it. Precision agriculture is incredible.
▶ 1:24:56Sen. Hoeven: I'm going to invite you to come out to our state and see what we are doing. Would you commit to coming out and see what we have?
▶ 1:25:04Mrs. Rollins: I would love to come visit. I think it has been reported in the press that if you can get me on a horse, I would love to ride a horse. We are working on all of these issues across the states. Only if you ride with me.
▶ 1:25:21Sen. Hoeven: Absolutely arrived. One of my sisters raced barrels. My job is just to get the horses in the trailer. It depends on the horse. But we will do it. I'm so glad to hear that. And my grandfather is a cattle rancher.
▶ 1:25:41Mrs. Rollins: Love herford's.
▶ 1:25:47Sen. Hoeven: Will you commit to working with us to get a farm bill? It is so incredibly important in agriculture, as you know. We have a system of family-based forms across this country it would look at all the other issues. We have this system of family-based farmers and ranchers, small businesses.
▶ 1:26:17Sen. Hoeven: What they produce is the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. Americans have better choice, that are quality, and spend less of their budget on food than almost any other developed country. It is what we have because we have good foreign. That means affordable crop insurance and a countercyclical safety net that works. Keeping the farm in the farm bill. Will you commit to helping us get that? We are past due. We need to get it done.
▶ 1:26:47Sen. Hoeven: You commit to help us get it done, and get it done in the way I have described?
▶ 1:26:50Mrs. Rollins: Again, maybe the pathological optimist in me -- those I have talked to from both sides of the aisle, the complexity, the challenges of reauthorizing it -- I hope I can be a force multiplier. I hope what I bring to the table is the opportunity to work with both sides to get us where we need to be for our farmers and ranchers.
▶ 1:27:18Mrs. Rollins: Security, some understanding that the net is there and that the loans are there, and that the insurance is there, and that they can continue to be the best producers in the world for the world food supply. The technical assistance you need to be able to do your job -- but also, if called, to help anyway I can to get this done.
▶ 1:27:44Sen. Hoeven: The room -- the work with president trump has been important. We have seen that with the farm bill. We commit to working closely not just on this committee, but with our other committees as we administer emergency assistance.
▶ 1:28:00Mrs. Rollins: 100% yes. Whether that is at 2:00 in the morning, 4:00 in the morning, midnight, I am always available and will work harder than anyone to make sure you have everything you need across the capital.
▶ 1:28:15Sen. Hoeven: I want that acknowledgment on the record. Also, tariffs. We went to this early in president trump's first turn, with sonny perdue and china targeting our farmers and ranchers. We look at tariffs as a way to get markets on a level playing field.
▶ 1:28:43Sen. Hoeven: Give me your thoughts on how we are going to approach this.
▶ 1:28:46Mrs. Rollins: As I mentioned, when I got the call about this particular position from the president, we were driving our motorhome across mississippi on the way to auburn for the texas a&m auburn-alabama game. I was not expecting a call from the president at that moment.
▶ 1:29:05Mrs. Rollins: But when it came and when we talked about this job, I celebrated, prayed with my family, and then immediately began understanding what happened last time, ensuring that we have the right team on the field that can immediately execute to ensure we are solving for these major challenges. So the undersecretary -- that will come before you very quickly, Mr. chair -- helped run that program under sonny perdue.
▶ 1:29:32Mrs. Rollins: The staff he is building out, if confirmed, is the same team that did before, with the idea that we cannot reinvent the wheel. We have to be able to move quickly.
▶ 1:29:42Sen. Hoeven: That is good to hear, because we did have to do some things legislatively. We look forward to working with him again. Whether it is china or anyone else, we are going to defend our guys. We are going to make the playing field fair. On the level playing field, our farmers and ranchers are the best in the world. The sugar industry is huge in my state. That involves trade very directly, as you know.
▶ 1:30:12Sen. Hoeven: On that industry, senator klobuchar also shares that same concern.
▶ 1:30:15Mrs. Rollins: In fact, senator smith and I discussed it as well.
▶ 1:30:21Sen. Hoeven: Absolutely, senator smith -- sorry. I want to emphasize senator smith. Yes, -- Mrs. rollins: yes, thank you. 100%. In any of these industries, I am here.
▶ 1:30:37Sen. Hoeven: We have also worked with your potential deputy recycle as well. Both on behalf of yourself and him, you have worked on access for the forest lands. We have many other interests on the grasslands. Access is an issue. Will you commit to help us on that?
▶ 1:31:01Mrs. Rollins: 100%. Thank you, senator.
▶ 1:31:05Chair Boozman: -- Sen.
▶ 1:31:11Klobuchar: Senator boozman had to go vote, and we have senator smith with us.
▶ 1:31:16Sen. Smith: Thank you so much, ranking member. I want to share my congratulations to you and to chad boseman for leading this committee. -- and to chair boozman for leading this committee. I even love senator hoeven, who forgets I love sugar.
▶ 1:31:35Mrs. Rollins: She even loves you, senator hoeven.
▶ 1:31:41Sen. Smith: I see how pride your family is a, and I appreciated the conversation in my office. And I appreciate your minnesota routes and connection, clearly. Thanks for that. We have lots to talk about. I want to get right to it. I want to start out by raising the issue of ethanol and sugar. I'm so glad that senator klobuchar and senator hoeven have touched on those issues, both of which are vitally important to minnesota agriculture. Ethanol is homegrown energy.
▶ 1:32:09Sen. Smith: It is a major economic driver for minnesota. $7 billion from our economy. Similarly, the national sugar program supports more than 151,000 jobs in our country. It creates $23 billion a year for the U.S. economy, and it is run with zero costs to the U.S. taxpayers. I appreciate your commitment to work with us on those important programs. Let's turn to rural development.
▶ 1:32:38Sen. Smith: I represent a state filled with small towns and rural places -- places that are filled with energy and creativity and innovation and talent. We also know that small towns and real communities face challenges. I think sometimes people forget that the rural development side of the usda is really important. That portfolio is important. I will be honest and fearful that the work done there, those efforts not being well understood, could become the target for budget cutting.
▶ 1:33:10Sen. Smith: I also know that american farmers and ranchers really trust usda on those issues. They don't want to see those programs farmed out to other agencies. We all worry they would get less attention. We talked about this when you were in my office, and I appreciate that. Let's dive in on a couple of issues, big rural development issues -- housing and childcare.
▶ 1:33:42Sen. Smith: We know we have a serious shortage of affordable housing in rural communities. These are places for our elders and folks that live on fixed incomes, people who make our food systems work where they live. For decades, the rural housing service at the usda has helped in those communities. Everyone agrees it needs to be modernized and updated. Last congress, senator rounds and I introduced the rural housing service reform act to do that, with 14 bipartisan sponsors.
▶ 1:34:03Sen. Smith: Want to ask you first, can you talk about your vision for how the usda can innovate and engage on rural housing question mark and will you work with me on rural housing service performance?
▶ 1:34:13Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator smith. I think of all of the portfolio, if confirmed, that I am taking on, the one that excites me the most is the opportunity to put forward a vision and build a program around restoring and bringing back verbal america. Clearly, the federal government -- there are going to be many, many factors.
▶ 1:34:42Mrs. Rollins: The idea that we at usda can lead that effort, that it is not just about elevating our farmers and ensuring our ranchers are protected, and that usda is doing everything they can to defend them -- it is housing. It is education. It is all of the above. Senator smith, you and I and even senator klobuchar discussed this.
▶ 1:35:07Mrs. Rollins: In the last white house, I led an effort called the white house -- we nominate it scott turner to lead it. Former nfl player and just a pastor and visionary -- in my effort, we were focused on urban communities and the disadvantaged communities.
▶ 1:35:30Mrs. Rollins: In the course of many months across the agencies, under president trump, we have focused on myriad programs that were duplicate to have, that tried to serve the same constituency, that sometimes were fine but other times was not a great use of dollars. Having an all of government approach with that, we can really understand what role hhs plays or rural housing place, doing it quickly, so we can begin to roll it out.
▶ 1:36:00Mrs. Rollins: America at 250 -- america turns 250 next year -- is going to be an incredible opportunity for us to take this message to every corner of rural america, and to really get people focused.
▶ 1:36:13Sen. Smith: We need to bring that message. We also need to make sure that we have supporting at these rural development programs. Not throwing them under the bus. I can tell you they are counted on by folks in my community. I hope we are able to work together on that. I want to touch, in the time I have left, on the nutrition programs at usda. Nutrition programs are foundational for a healthy america.
▶ 1:36:43Sen. Smith: Two thirds of snap recipients and families with children, one third are families with older adults with disabilities. Snap is a rural development tool. Some of our rural communities have the highest food insecurity in the whole state. In this country, nine out of 10 countries with the highest food insecurity rates are rural. Ms. rawlins, can you talk to me about how you see the rules around snap?
▶ 1:37:10Sen. Smith: And then what do you see about work requirements for snap?
▶ 1:37:13Mrs. Rollins: I understand this is an important issue to everyone on the committee. My commitment is to ensure we have the data, the research, and the understanding of this program, make sure we are serving those that need it. Raised by a single mom in a rural community with two little sisters -- she worked at the library. She made five dollars an hour. I understand this.
▶ 1:37:37Sen. Smith: Is it your view that we need to adjust or change the work requirements for snap?
▶ 1:37:40Mrs. Rollins: It will be no surprise to everyone on this committee, republican and democrat, through the course of 20 years of being a policy leader, that I do believe in work requirements. Think they are important. I don't fully understand the plan to get more in the weeds on this. And working with all of you to make sure your plans are part of that education process.
▶ 1:38:02Sen. Smith: My view, and I think this is the official view of the usda, is that snap should ensure no one fears going hungry in this country, and it also reflects the importance of work and responsibility. That is why snap has extensive work requirements in place. And folks that are not required to work under snap are a small number. It is because they are taking care of a child, or an incapacitated person.
▶ 1:38:28Sen. Smith: Or they are participating in alcohol or drug treatment programs, or because they are already working under some other program. I ask you to consider this. I do not think this is a good place to be looking for extra dollars when we have so many people that are struggling with food insecurity, even though they are working one or two or three jobs. Thank you. I know I am out of time.
▶ 1:38:55Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator.
▶ 1:39:02Sen. Klobuchar: Next up, senator ernst, our neighbor to the south.
▶ 1:39:06Sen. Ernst: Thank you two ranking member amy klobuchar, a great neighbor, as has been mentioned many times. Between minnesota and iowa, amy has worked with me on so many agriculture and biofuel issues. I'm excited to work with you, senator klobuchar. You and chairman bozeman, as we work on a five-year farm -- farm bill. It is something I hear continuously from islands as I travel in my great state.
▶ 1:39:40Sen. Ernst: To you, Mrs. brooke rowlands, -- rollins, thank you for being here and for bringing your friends and family. I'm excited to see you as our nominee for secretary of agriculture. I know you are an tag girl at heart.
▶ 1:40:02Sen. Ernst: I have full confidence in your ability to lead this department, full faith and confidence in this role. I will start with this one. We talked about this at length. This is telework. I know that we must address work policies for federal employees at the department of agriculture.
▶ 1:40:27Sen. Ernst: As you know, the gao reported usda's headquarters has a space utilization rate at just 11%. 11%. I have even received whistleblower letters from employees describing the building as a ghost town. Last year, I addressed this exact issue with then secretary tom vilsack, and was met with very strong opposition.
▶ 1:40:55Sen. Ernst: Rather than providing evidence to dispute the gao's numbers, and even after repeatedly following up with his staff, he refused to give me specific in office numbers or building utilization data. In stark contrast, president trump acted immediately to get our federal workforce back to actually working for the american people. Ms.
▶ 1:41:19Sen. Ernst: Rollins, in line with these efforts, what is your plan to achieve the 60% utilization goal for your headquarters buildings, which has been set by congress? And secondly, will you commit to requiring each usda employee to show up to the office?
▶ 1:41:38Mrs. Rollins: Senator ernst, thank you. I really loved our time. We talked about this way before the election. And I love your focus on ensuring that those paid by taxpayer dollars are fully committed to serve in the most effective way, for whomever they work. That is, I believe, being in an office almost every single time. It is not my belief alone.
▶ 1:42:11Mrs. Rollins: Obviously, president trump has been talking about this. There was an executive order in the last day or two, calling for the same. I look forward to getting into the office very soon, and working to effectuate the most effective workforce that the united states department of ever had, in the history of this country, and in so doing, ensuring they are all in the office to make that.
▶ 1:42:38Sen. Ernst: Thank you for that commitment. Another issue that has been brought up frequently on the dais, and one that will be a surprise to you, is critically important to my iowa farmers -- biofuels. It is a key source of demand for our corn and our soybeans.
▶ 1:42:59Sen. Ernst: During the, this industry did suffer from the rb owes, the last-minute announcements, and the lack of clear tax policy guidance on the 45 z claim of fuel production credit, something we were just discussing. Many of these moves could cause these plans to idle or stop production entirely. This is threatening hundreds of rural jobs.
▶ 1:43:33Sen. Ernst: I do applaud president trump for making e 15 a priority. He did have an executive order on that. I do look forward to securing a permanent fix in loft. We need an all hands on deck approach for crafting future rbis that reflect production capacity and guidance on the 45 z that will support american farmers. So miss rollins -- Ms. rollins, the usda has a very big role to play when crafting these policies.
▶ 1:44:03Sen. Ernst: As secretary, will you commit to working with me to provide certainty for our farmers and the entire renewable fuel industry?
▶ 1:44:11Mrs. Rollins: Yes, senator. I look forward to that and there is no question where president trump stance on this. I believe there is an executive order on this. In the last of ministration, that did come out of domestic policy, so I did not work on that directly. I believe it was overturned and correctly stated that the congress should take that up. I really look forward to working with that.
▶ 1:44:37Mrs. Rollins: But also, if confirmed on a piece of this, on the 45 z, with my friends got the sent at treasury, I hope you will be encouraged at the cabinet, if confirmed. We all know each other, our friends, family -- and you really are looking forward to working together on these cross agency issues.
▶ 1:45:04Sen. Ernst: I really appreciate that. In the last administration, I have to say that in conversations with all of these agencies, we were really blown off and left springing -- swinging in the breeze. I anticipate that president trump will want to do right by our farmers in this, producing renewable fuels. Another issue could quickly -- top of mind for iowa's ad community is decision 12.
▶ 1:45:32Sen. Ernst: We are the number one hub producing state. California's ballot initiative has been devastating for our family farms and is only fueling market consolidation of pork producers. Just ultimately what we would like to do is move on legislation, craft a way forward, so that we don't have states telling our producers how they can raise their livestock.
▶ 1:46:03Sen. Ernst: Very important to us. In line with president trump's priority to lower food costs for american families, where you commit to working with this committee to reverse proposition 12?
▶ 1:46:13Mrs. Rollins: 1012 -- I have been the last few months become very acquainted with it. The idea that one state -- I am a federalism believer. I believe in the founders' vision that the government closest to the people is the government that should be most active, under the 10th amendment. But this particular issue, I believe from even a bipartisan perspective -- it is not just affecting californians.
▶ 1:46:40Mrs. Rollins: It is affecting multitudes of other states, altitudes of other parts of the ag community including fog -- including hog farms in iowa. If you do not already have a bill filed, I know you are soon to file one. The gestation has been drafted. I look forward to working with you on that.
▶ 1:47:00Sen. Ernst: Thank you, Mrs. rollins. I look forward to hosting you in iowa on an ag biofuels tour and would welcome your family as well. I yelled back.
▶ 1:47:15Chair Boozman: Senator?
▶ 1:47:19Sen. Durbin: Yesterday, I took your advice. You told me about your mother's agenda and the texas state house. She is the first person I met in the room today.
▶ 1:47:30Mrs. Rollins: She is special, isn't she?
▶ 1:47:35Sen. Durbin: It looks like we have a possibility of a real bipartisan state and federal -- I'm glad she came. I'm glad I had a chance to meet her. I want to talk about one thing that is in the headlines this morning and will be for a long time -- the mass deportation of undocumented people from the united states.
▶ 1:47:57Sen. Durbin: I mentioned to you that I have been surprised by the response I received from farmers and ranchers and people involved in agriculture, when it comes to the information issue. I told you about the farmer who said, senator durbin, we are going to close down a dairy operation of three generations because we need immigrant workers for operations.
▶ 1:48:23Sen. Durbin: A lady with the farm bureau raised her hand and said, while you are at it, include the orchards. Who is going to pick this crop? It is not the local kids at the high school. They will not even man the fruit stand by the highway. I cannot get them to come work for me. I need immigrant workers. It turns out that 40% of the farmworkers in this country are undocumented. Know what that means. They are vulnerable to being deported. What are the farmers going to do?
▶ 1:48:53Sen. Durbin: For a lot of them from a lot of different industries, immigration is critical. There were some strong things said, the american first policy. It called for deportation at a scale that actually matters, and massive deportation efforts. I just need to ask you, what is your policy on immigration? The criminals, we don't want them, and they should not stay.
▶ 1:49:26Sen. Durbin: But those cops are not going to pick themselves. At most, 40% of workers are undocumented. Can we expect this administration to be rating farms? -- raiding farms and going after the workers?
▶ 1:49:42Mrs. Rollins: I was grateful for our time yesterday and working together in the last administration, and I appreciate your kindness. I was a little late yesterday. There was some confusion. And you gave me a little grace. I really appreciate it. Listen -- the president's vision of a secured border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support.
▶ 1:50:13Mrs. Rollins: I was his domestic policy director in the last white house. I have built and led an organization alongside chad wolf, the former secretary of homeland security, at the american -- america first policy institute. I want to be extremely transparent, and I think you deserve that.
▶ 1:50:32Mrs. Rollins: That is my commitment, is to help president trump deployed his agenda in an effective way, while at the same time defending the secretary of agriculture, our farmers and ranchers across this country. And so having both of those, which you may argue is in conflict -- but having both of those as key priorities, my job is to work with, if confirmed, the secretary of labor, lori, from oregon.
▶ 1:51:05Mrs. Rollins: To work with her on the h2 a program, to also work with all of you to reform and perhaps modernize that h2 a program. I will also say that the president has been very clear that this first round will be aimed at, as you mentioned, those who have committed crimes in our criminals while inside our borders over the last four years. So we will follow the data.
▶ 1:51:34Mrs. Rollins: We will follow and listen to our farmers and ranchers as this is moving. I commitment is to work with all of you to work to solve this and do everything we can to make sure that none of these farms or dairy producers are put out.
▶ 1:51:49Sen. Durbin: I support your answer. Dangerous people should not be here. They should be gone. But when you are talking massive deportation, we are talking not dangerous criminals. I just want to give fair warning to farmers and ranchers across america that if you have immigrant labor, you can expect federal agents to come and search your property. Is that in the future for farmers and ranchers with the mass deportation?
▶ 1:52:14Mrs. Rollins: Sir, I have not been involved in that. The president's current plan, I cannot answer that one way or the other. I do know that my job is to ensure that as those conversations are ongoing, if confirmed, that I am part of that data collection and understanding, and that the president understands that what this means to our agricultural community.
▶ 1:52:38Mrs. Rollins: And I believe sincerely that he will execute his agenda that he has promised the american people, but that we will never forget our ag amenity.
▶ 1:52:48Sen. Durbin: I certainly hope so. These men and women on our farms are doing backbreaking work every single damn day and have done it for years, and many of them, 40%, are undocumented. If they are going to be deported, we will have fewer fruits and vegetables on our tables and in the store. And it is preventable. When it comes to the snap program, the work requirement and the asset requirements, do you think we ought to apply that to other agriculture programs?
▶ 1:53:17Mrs. Rollins: Senator durbin, I look forward to learning more about those. I have spent most of my time on snap, preparing for this hearing. Am aware there are 16 other nutrition programs across the united states department of agriculture.
▶ 1:53:32Mrs. Rollins: I look forward to meeting with those that are running them, working across the agencies to see who else is working on these programs, making sure they are the most effective and most effective for the taxpayer.
▶ 1:53:51Sen. Durbin: Project 2025 calls for capping crop insurance payouts to $40,000 per farmer, and terminating long-term export promotion programs. What is your thought?
▶ 1:54:04Mrs. Rollins: The america first institute was not involved at all in reddick 2025. We were not part of any policy process and had nothing to do with it. Sorry. I don't know that I can answer that specifically. I will say that my role is to defend farmers and driver cultures -- farmers and our agriculture communities.
▶ 1:54:29Mrs. Rollins: As I look at those programs, aside from everything, my goal is to protect our community.
▶ 1:54:39Sen. Boozman: Senator hyde-smith? Congratulations. I'm so excited to get to work with you. I think it is really neat that you got the call from president trump. And I believe you were in newton, mississippi.
▶ 1:54:55Mrs. Rollins: In the walmart parking lot. That is when the call came.
▶ 1:55:01Sen. Hyde-Smith: And I believe the auburn game ran to three overtimes.
▶ 1:55:07Mrs. Rollins: The aggies ran out of time, which is sort of our game plan these days.
▶ 1:55:15Sen. Hyde-Smith: That was an exciting day, no doubt, and it was nice to meet mark. Thank you for accepting the invitation to come here. I want to highlight important things before diving into the questions. That is the supplemental that was passed.
▶ 1:55:33Sen. Hyde-Smith: I want to thank senator boozman and senator collins on how incredibly important it was to get that deal, that $10 billion that will make a total difference in the survival of so many producers throughout the state. Thank you for that. That certainly did not go unnoticed by the agate world -- ag world. I want to talk about catfish.
▶ 1:56:02Sen. Hyde-Smith: Mississippi is the top producing state of farmers catfish, and it is a huge contributor to the state, and our neighbors. Unfortunately, the foreign catfish imports, primarily vietnam and china -- that has really hurt the industry.
▶ 1:56:23Sen. Hyde-Smith: My latest concern is now that it is being inspected by usda, to the safety and inspection service, and it starts with inspecting all of those imported catfish. I have been very concerned about how that has been implement it. They are far more rigorous than the food and drug ministration inspection. The inspection has not been at the top of the priority list for the last administration, and that made a huge difference.
▶ 1:56:54Sen. Hyde-Smith: There can be dangerous carcinogens. Many elements that are harmful for human consumption or getting by, and not inspected. If confirmed, will you work to ensure that fsi s tightens its imported catfish inspection response abilities?
▶ 1:57:13Mrs. Rollins: Yes, ma'am. I look forward to all aspects of the U.S. department of agriculture, but have heard from several of you that the inspection part of it could be significantly improved. My commitment is to do everything I can to do just that. The president is close to announcing an undersecretary in that role. I think everyone will be very pleased when that announcement is made.
▶ 1:57:41Mrs. Rollins: We look forward to helping his quick confirmation and getting to work.
▶ 1:57:49Sen. Hyde-Smith: For years, we were the top producing state, as agate commissioner -- ag commissioner in mississippi. The screw horn outbreaks are a high consequence disease threatening agriculture. I have gotten several calls from producers that are very concerned about that.
▶ 1:58:11Sen. Hyde-Smith: I can remember the avian influenza threat, the mississippi fox -- if we had the outbreak, we were ready. I was involved in the sports markets, and the mad cow detection. Those markets took over a decade to recover.
▶ 1:58:37Sen. Hyde-Smith: We had countries that did not buy our beef for 13 years until we got that under control. Much attention is given to animal disease outbreaks. A key solution is often overlooked, and that is the importance of usda veterinarians. Those are so -- so critical.
▶ 1:59:01Sen. Hyde-Smith: Despite the hiring freeze, those professionals are essential in ensuring food security because of these outbreaks. The vets are currently managing the h5n1 outbreak by testing meat and milk, and helping producers with bio security practices. There has been inadequate veterinarians staffing.
▶ 1:59:32Sen. Hyde-Smith: And with the animal and plant inspection, the problem was made worse by a compensation system that the previous secretary described as uncompetitive. In the hearing in the last congress, I tried to work with the previous administration to begin correcting the retention problems there. Those efforts were pretty much ignored as well.
▶ 1:59:58Sen. Hyde-Smith: But it is just extremely frustrating to know how critical it is to make sure we have the safest, cheapest food in the entire world. It takes inspections to do that. Hopefully, that will be better. I'm going to ask for your commitment on that. It jeopardizes the american agriculture competitiveness, with a risk of spreading disease.
▶ 2:00:25Sen. Hyde-Smith: There is public health and agriculture. The situations we find ourselves in -- we sit there and hope and pray that we don't get a call that there is an outbreak of anything. The usda office of personnel management must address these veterinarian personnel challenges.
▶ 2:00:47Sen. Hyde-Smith: We you commit to working toward timely and meaningful solutions that would be in line with the president's agenda, for these personnel, for these veterinarians we need at usda?
▶ 2:01:01Mrs. Rollins: I'm not sure if you heard, but texas and m has a heck of a good veterinary school, so I'm very familiar. I look forward to that. I do think the crooning piece of this and you and I working together, and I believe senator klobuchar may be a co-chair with you on the veterinary committee here in the senate. But across the board, ensuring that your leadership, and my supporting you, if confirmed, continues to be a priority. I look forward to that.
▶ 2:01:34Sen. Hyde-Smith: A quick statement I look forward to working with is to address the usda stockyards rules concerning poultry. It has really caused some significant cost increase to our poultry growers and does not have any quantifiable process. The stockyards -- thank you so much. I so look forward to supporting you.
▶ 2:02:00Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator.
▶ 2:02:04Sen. Booker: I am excited to be here and excited for a few moments with you. I know I was the favorite office you visited much more.
▶ 2:02:15Mrs. Rollins: There were three favorites. You were one of the three.
▶ 2:02:21Sen. Booker: I know you like my visit. [laughter] I'm when jump on the moving mom bandwagon. You told me about the work she did on pfas. It is a real problem for american families, and is something that is important to me.
▶ 2:02:44Sen. Booker: You mentioned that one of the biggest problems we have in america is that the biggest producers in our country have done well. I love to celebrate american success. But we are having a problem with the big producers, often controlled by multinational corporations. Most of our small farmers in america continue to struggle.
▶ 2:03:09Sen. Booker: We have lost over 140,000 firms in our country, and over half a million farms have been lost in this country. This loss of family farms has led to awful things happening to our rural communities, and an exodus of residents, jobs -- really, the hollowing out of rural communities. For the farmers who have managed to hang on, times are really tough.
▶ 2:03:37Sen. Booker: 80% of family farmers have second jobs, and the income is generated from off farm income. Usda programs are structured in ways that serve the biggest producers but often do not work for small and midsized family farms.
▶ 2:03:57Sen. Booker: I hope to create an office of small farms within usda that will be charged with looking at usda programs, policies, and finding ways to make them work for our small farms. We are losing our heritage. Families have had farms for six generations in america and are really struggling. As secretary, we make it a priority for the usda to do more to help small farmers?
▶ 2:04:28Mrs. Rollins: One zillion percent yes, which is aggie math because you can only get to 100%. We discussed yesterday for me personally that is where my heart is, and my passion, restoring rural america, working together in all parts of our country.
▶ 2:04:46Sen. Booker: I will say hallelujah and remind you that your mother is watching.
▶ 2:04:51Mrs. Rollins: Yes, sir.
▶ 2:04:54Sen. Booker: We are also facing a global hunger crisis. Needs of people are in desperate need of food. Senator boozman and I have worked closely to increase and expedite the usda production of commodities such as rice and wheat, for shipment to countries where people are separating -- are suffering from famine conditions.
▶ 2:05:20Sen. Booker: We are able to provide lifesaving food to children and families around the globe all helping our farmers. I know you and I share a deep faith as a motivation behind what we do in our work. And you believe that the gospel calls on us to help people in need. It is also a national security issue for america, hoping to stabilize other nations that are facing crises.
▶ 2:05:46Sen. Booker: I office is getting a lot of concern -- concerned reports from farmers -- that humanitarian programs like food for peace may be paused by one of the recent executive orders. I'm hoping that is not true. Once you are confirmed, will you check on the status of that, and will you make food aid purchases from our farmers a priority?
▶ 2:06:07Mrs. Rollins: Yes, of course.
▶ 2:06:10Sen. Booker: Fantastic. Meatpackers, most americans do not know they work in horrifically dangerous conditions, one of the most dangerous jobs in america. They are being forced to make repetitive motions every day.
▶ 2:06:24Sen. Booker: The usda showed that 81% of chicken processing plant workers are at an elevated risk, significantly so, of developing debilitating upper body disorders and things like carpal tunnel syndrome. Workers also face a risk of serious injuries. On average, to worker imitations -- two worker amputations per week occur on solder lines in the U.S.
▶ 2:06:54Sen. Booker: -- la the U.S. -- lon slaughter lines in the U.S. and there are child labor violations. The U.S. is one of the largest buyers for these meatpackers. I have a bipartisan bill to stop federal contracting for countries with child labor violations.
▶ 2:07:17Sen. Booker: You commit to using the agency's purchasing powers to end these abusive and bad treatments of workers?
▶ 2:07:28Mrs. Rollins: I have not worked enough on the issue to fully understand, but I look forward to working with you and learning more about this issue.
▶ 2:07:40Sen. Booker: I'm grateful for that and will speed to my last question. Altar processed meals are featuring -- 30% of teenagers in america have pre-diabetes. We have a sickness epidemic in american children. We know that children are on a trajectory of a lifetime of sickness and suffering that will cost the health care system inordinate amounts, and cost them as well.
▶ 2:08:11Sen. Booker: We know that 60% of children's calories currently come from altar processed foods. Any have unhealthy levels of salt and added sugar. With our school meal program, we have an opportunity to make sure that kids get healthy, nutritious meals that empower them in school and for their life. Right now, kids are still getting too many calories in schools from altar processed meals.
▶ 2:08:35Sen. Booker: If confirmed, will you commit to dealing with this crisis, and really focusing on improving children's health by decreasing altar processed foods in our school food program?
▶ 2:08:49Mrs. Rollins: As I mentioned with chairman boozman -- I do agree with you. I think before my friend rfk junior, bobby kennedy, came on the scene -- I believe that was in august, he became part of the american first -- america first movement. This issue, while really important, was not necessarily at the top of the america first agenda.
▶ 2:09:15Mrs. Rollins: We had some people working on it, but did not expected to be a priority in the administration. I am encouraged that it is now a priority.
▶ 2:09:26Sen. Booker: This is not a question, because my time has expired. Prop 12 coming out of california, stockyards -- small, independent family farmers can show that prop 12 has opened new opportunities for them. It is protecting them. They actually want to see better enforcement. I hope you are open to having a conversation.
▶ 2:09:46Mrs. Rollins: I would look forward to that. Thank you, senator.
▶ 2:10:01Sen. Marshall: I hope you agree with me that whole milk is the greatest known to human kind and belongs in our school lunches.
▶ 2:10:08Mrs. Rollins: I don't know if you have met my mom yet, but this is all we had in our refrigerator growing up. Not anything else. Just hold the. She has never been interested in anything else. This hits home for me.
▶ 2:10:35Sen. Marshall: You have a love of agriculture. Tell us where that comes from and why this job is important to american agriculture.
▶ 2:10:40Mrs. Rollins: Senator, thank you. The fact that I am sitting here today and I am in the united states capital -- I am serving at the appointment of the president of the united states, as one of his potential cabinet members. Yet I grew up in a town of 1200, with a single mom with two little sisters. I went to texas a&m on an agriculture scholarship. We needed the money.
▶ 2:11:09Mrs. Rollins: Future farmers of america is the organization that set my path so many years ago. I am fighting for the next person growing up in a little bitty town with a single mom, that her weekends are spent with houses and raising cattle, and friday night football.
▶ 2:11:27Mrs. Rollins: And making sure that those communities continue to raise and provide thriving and incredible opportunities for the next generation of leaders, so that this country can continue in the next 200 50 years to do what we have done on the last 250. And that is to create and govern under a founder's vision of the greatest country in the history of the world. This committee in this moment of time is the backbone to all of that.
▶ 2:11:56Sen. Marshall: It reminds me of the song "growing up a kansas farm boy." I think that is what you are describing. You pointed out earlier 90% of rural america supports -- supported president trump in the election, over 90%. The president asked me, how are your farmers and ranchers doing in kansas? Can you share president trump's compassion for farmers and ranchers?
▶ 2:12:28Sen. Marshall: You have had similar conversations with him as well.
▶ 2:12:30Mrs. Rollins: Senator, one of the illuminating moments of my time with him in the last administration -- as you can imagine, it was an adventure beyond any imagination to be next to president trump for two years, and to continue to work with him after he left the white house, and continue the policies for the next 100 years, not just this moment in time.
▶ 2:12:58Mrs. Rollins: I, in the last west wing -- I believe I am speaking correctly -- was the only person with an agriculture background. That was not widely known because I was managing the entire portfolio. But anytime in any senior staff meetings or any time we were in the oval office, and these issues would comes up, he would always point to me and say, where are we on that? It was so clear to me that that is where his heart is.
▶ 2:13:28Mrs. Rollins: I will never forget a cabinet meeting where we were having a discussion about some big corporate entity who asked for a very large sum in the multi-of dollars for a project. In that same week he had been asked for that project, he also visited some farmers in georgia. I will never forget. I was sitting behind him because I was not part of the cabinet. I was part of the senior staff. He looked at the cabinet and looked at us, the senior team.
▶ 2:13:58Mrs. Rollins: He said, I'm not here for those guys that are asking for billions of dollars of their project. I'm here for those farmers. I'm here for those men and women that I met in georgia yesterday, who are hurting, but never complained, never stopped doing what they are called to do, which is to produce for families across america and across the world.
▶ 2:14:28Mrs. Rollins: That is who I am here, and we all, pointing to the staff, were here to serve. I think that was maybe in year two, and I have never forgotten about that. We talked about that again when he called me.
▶ 2:14:43Sen. Marshall: Would you speak to a moment about how important biofuels are to the farmers, to ranchers, who benefit from some of the substrates coming out of that process and into rural america as well? And specifically how 45z might impact rural america.
▶ 2:15:06Mrs. Rollins: Everyone knows where -- you were in a lot of meetings. Senator grassley, I know you were in the last whitehouse makg were in the last whitehouse make were in the last whitehouse makt were in the last whitehouse make president fully understood the importance of what you're talking about, senator, on biofuels and especially to our farmers. In the last 48 hours in executive order on energy included a mention of biofuels. My role, if confirmed, is to defend all of american agriculture.
▶ 2:15:35Mrs. Rollins: I believe, senator, you and others who hail from these states where this is a driver for farmers, ranchers, and your economy, should feel confident that you have a friend and defender in this current administration to make sure that this continues.
▶ 2:15:53Mrs. Rollins: 45z, my friend scott bessent who is confirmed at treasury, he will be working on that and he will have the right -- around him to make the right decision. >> I was sitting here thinking, I remember president trump's first primary in 2016 in iowa, I believe that he was the candidate that came out in favor of biofuels.
▶ 2:16:21Mrs. Rollins: Let's finish up on regulatory environment. I'm not sure if anything is a bigger concern to the american farmer than the regulatory environment. The two hot button issues have been the U.S. waters and endangered species act. What was your involvement in rolling back that regulation with the previous administration ? That is a good example of what is going forward.
▶ 2:16:46Mrs. Rollins: I have extensive experience in these regulatory programs that in the last administration we worked to make rollback and align better for the needs of our ag communities and ensure that the waters of the united states rule didn't put more farmers out of business, same with the endangered species act. I know that that is also a big issue in our forestry lane as well.
▶ 2:17:13Mrs. Rollins: I look forward and my policy heart is happy at the opportunity to make those better to understand the harm and work with the data and work with you to try to solve for that in the next four years. >> at the outset, I tell you how grateful I am to serve on this committee. California hasn't had a senator on the agricultural committee for 30 years.
▶ 2:17:43Mrs. Rollins: As a leading agricultural state we really -- I'm really proud of the industry and all of the people who work in it and grateful to have a chance to represent them on this committee. Senator marshall, I wanted to tell you that a california legislator once made a name for himself by drinking a beaker of malathion to demonstrate his view that he thought it was safe. I will be doing that today.
▶ 2:18:11Mrs. Rollins: Miss rollins, thank you for being here today. When we met to discuss your nomination, firefighters in southern california have begun efforts to contain two places. We know now that this was only the beginning of what would ultimately amount to one of the most devastating wildfire disasters in the state's history, if not the nation's history.
▶ 2:18:35Mrs. Rollins: Over the last 2.5 weeks in l.a., it has been difficult for me to put into words how truly catastrophic these fires have been, the scope of them.it is beyond anything that I would have ever imagined. Whole neighborhoods and communities wiped out.
▶ 2:18:54Mrs. Rollins: The forest service has been playing an amazing role in the emergency response efforts working hand in hand with state and local partners to secure resources and personnel, to aid california's wildfire response this month the for service deployed 2300 federal firefighters, 12 large air tankers, 20 helicopters, six's coopers, eight modular airborne firefighting aircraft. Without these resources the devastation in l.a. What have been far worse and we are done with it yet.
▶ 2:19:24Mrs. Rollins: We had the outbreak of another fire yesterday. If confirmed as secretary, are you committed to deploying the same emergency resources to fight wildfires in blue states that would be deployed to fight wildfires in red states? Can we count on you not to discriminate among states in the vigor of the federal response?
▶ 2:19:45Mrs. Rollins: Senator, thank you . Obviously, since you asked, 100% yes. Watch the devastation in your beautiful state has been heartbreaking for all of us, no matter if we are from red states or blue states.
▶ 2:20:03Mrs. Rollins: I think hopefully, if there is any good that comes from this, if I am confirmed we can figure out how to be an even better more impactful resource the next time that this happens, and hopefully be able to work more closely more quickly with those on the ground across blue states and red states.
▶ 2:20:22Sen. Schiff: I very much appreciate that. When firefighters have been putting their lives on the line to protect my communities back home, and we need to make sure that we continue to encourage people to become wildland firefighters and that their compensation is commensurate with the critical and dangerous work they do. I was speaking with one firefighter who was an l.a.
▶ 2:20:48Sen. Schiff: Fire department firefighter not a wildland firefighter, but nonetheless facing the same risks, who told me that he wasn't sure he was going to make it out alive. There were fires in front of him and behind him, his communications equipment was in and out, water was running low. He said that it was the closest thing to hell he could imagine.
▶ 2:21:15Sen. Schiff: The key, I think, to recruiting and retaining people to do that kind of vital, dangerous work, is to make sure that they are well compensated. The bipartisan infrastructure law signed by president biden included a long-overdue pay raise for federal firefighters. The raise is set to expire in march.
▶ 2:21:38Sen. Schiff: This means our federal firefighters could be paid as low as $15 an hour to risk their lives to keep our communities safe. If confirmed a secretary, are you committed to fighting to extend it so we can recruit and retain wildland firefighters?
▶ 2:21:54Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator schiff. The tens of thousands of firefighters at the forest service at usda in our peak seasons and even now, I think we have close to 1000 on the ground in your home state, I am 100% behind ensuring that we have the best, the best firefighters, the best workforce we can possibly have to fight these fires.
▶ 2:22:21Mrs. Rollins: I need to learn more about what exactly you're speaking about before I make a full commitment, but I will commit that in all of my time with president trump in the eight plus years I have been serving in his administration and answering the call for this position if confirmed, that he too believes that those putting their lives on the line every single day deserve the honor and respect and pay that goes along with those jobs. I look forward to working with you to ensure as we move forward that that is happening in the most appropriate way.
▶ 2:22:52Sen. Schiff: I appreciate that. Let me turn to a different topic. During the president's first term, usda had to allocate tens of billions of dollars to offset the financial impact of the tariffs and reciprocal tariffs that other countries imposed on our agriculture and our farmers. That financial assistance offered to farmers impacted by the trade war wasn't equally distributed.
▶ 2:23:23Sen. Schiff: Despite california's leading role in agriculture and heavy tariffs imposed on specialty crop exports, california growers received far less than their fair share in tariff assistance under the 2019 market facilitation program out of hundreds of specialty crops grown in the U.S., only eight crops received direct assistance. In the end, approximately 1% of the nearly 15 billion dollars in usda allocated resources went to california specialty crop growers. About 1%.
▶ 2:23:55Sen. Schiff: You know, we are the leading state when it comes to specialty crops. If confirmed, are you committed to distributing all economic assistance, including trade relief, to states, without regard to their political leanings?
▶ 2:24:08Mrs. Rollins: I am committed to that. You and I discussed the specialty crops in michigan when we met. I'm not familiar with the data that you laid out, but I look forward to being committed to ensuring that to the very, very best of our ability that this is appropriately adjudicated.
▶ 2:24:27Sen. Schiff: I look forward to working together to make sure that that relief, should it be necessary, is distributed equitably. Thank you, Mr. chairman I yield back.
▶ 2:24:38Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator. >> who would have known 30 years ago, I am the young coach at texas and him and you are the student body president the first time that we met.
▶ 2:24:55Mrs. Rollins: We sat next to each other in a lot of meetings. That's exactly right. >> look where we are at now. Congratulations. You will be awesome. I don't want to sugarcoat this. My farmers back home are hurting. We are in trouble. Our farmers are in trouble. Small farmers are selling right and left. I put a bill on the floor yesterday about keeping foreign adversaries from buying our farm land. We are selling right and left.
▶ 2:25:25Mrs. Rollins: I don't blame them, because they cannot make a profit. Cotton farmers last year come the input cost was about $400 per acre. They may have gotten $100 per acre out of their crop. That is the reason we had to do a supplemental right before christmas. My phone was ringing off of the wall. We have to help our farmers. They hate handouts. I will tell you they hate it, because they want to do their own work. You understand that, being from texas.
▶ 2:25:55Mrs. Rollins: Again, it is a dire problem, and it is not going to get fixed overnight. I'm looking forward to seeing who your team will be around you. I will tell you this, it is discouraging to know that you walk into the office building where you will have 3000 to 4000 employees and you can shoot a gun and not hit anybody. Nobody is there. Nobody has been working the office for four years. It is embarrassing.
▶ 2:26:24Mrs. Rollins: Our farmers need help and we've got nobody working at the office. So, we have to get input costs down. That is not your job. Six to seven years ago a cotton picker cost 750,000 dollars in alabama and today it is $1.5 million. Fertilizer has gone sky high after the ukraine work. It is embarrassing where we've got. There is a $45 billion trade deficit in ag, $45 billion.
▶ 2:26:56Mrs. Rollins: The only way that we can get commodity prices back up is to handle the trade deficit. That being said, we need dialogue. If confirmed, will you commit on doing dialogue with president trump and the people around ag to get our farmers an opportunity to have a better price for their crop?
▶ 2:27:15Mrs. Rollins: Yes, I will. I look forward to that. One of the things that I read recently, only 43% of our ag producers are net income positive. That is unsustainable. We have to find a better way. It cannot, always through government subsidies. We've got to expand the market. We have to figure out input costs. One of president trump's top priorities was food inflation.
▶ 2:27:44Mrs. Rollins: This comes before food inflation because this will drive the cost of food down if we are able to do our jobs and produce for our ag community, coach, the way that we can working together.
▶ 2:27:55Sen. Tuberville: Our drug industry, covid, how do we get people healthy, all of our drugs are made in china. We will lend up with the same situation if we don't wake up and smell the roses. People are selling right and left and you can blame them. Our small farms will end up being corporations like packinghouses. We have three companies now that our meatpackers. One of them is owned by china. We are headed in a direction of unknown.
▶ 2:28:24Sen. Tuberville: It is going to take leadership from your office to get that back on the right track. Our forest industry in my state, $46 billion per year. With the usda forest service under your purview, what priorities do you have for the health of our forests across the country? Not just in alabama. We have to continue that to make sure that we have healthy wood, because it is something we are very proud of.
▶ 2:28:52Mrs. Rollins: I know that's important to alabama and many other states represented here and across the U.S. senate. My commitment is to hire an a++ team. We already announced our undersecretary for this position and I have great faith in his leadership. He is a businessman.
▶ 2:29:12Mrs. Rollins: I think bringing to the table, hopefully with a quick confirmation process from you, he will bring to the table a team that will take our great firefighters in the forest service and hopefully realign and reorganize in a way that makes the force of service, including forest management, more productive, more effective so that we don't have the issues we've had in the last number of years, especially for our great producers in your state and other states.
▶ 2:29:38Sen. Tuberville: Key words, forest management. The american people across the country who are not in this business should not have to pay for everything, for the mistakes that we make. We are broke. We are $36 trillion in debt, and it is getting worse every day. We are printing $80,000 per second, and we cannot sustain that. The government is too big. Disaster relief. Disaster relief.
▶ 2:30:09Sen. Tuberville: If we have had problems with tornadoes or floods in my state, it takes at least three years at times to get any kind of disaster relief. Three years. You know as well as I do that farmers borrow money from banks. The bankers are looking around going, where is our money? We are waiting for disaster relief. Bankers shouldn't have to deal with that nor should farmers. I think that there has to be a better plan for that at the end of the day.
▶ 2:30:38Sen. Tuberville: Again, I am throwing all of your problems out to you and you probably don't want to hear that, but we've got a lot of problems I need to be fixed.
▶ 2:30:44Mrs. Rollins: Senator, coach, I believe you and I having a conversation with our commander-in-chief and that it has taken three years to get relief will be unacceptable to him and it's unacceptable to me. I will work with you to make sure we do much, much better than that. Thank you, sir. Thank you.
▶ 2:31:02Chair Boozman: Senator welch.
▶ 2:31:07Sen. Welch: Thank you, very much. I don't want the coach to be upset, when he asked the question how did you both get here? I got it how you got here, but I'm still trying to figure out --
▶ 2:31:26Mrs. Rollins: How the coach got here?
▶ 2:31:29Sen. Welch: You did something astonishing. Senator cruz gave you a nice introduction. I didn't know something that he has kept on the down low. He has a sense of humor. This is a pretty astonishing hearing.
▶ 2:31:45Mrs. Rollins: It is a new day.
▶ 2:31:46Sen. Welch: It is. Thank you to your visit to my office and your enthusiasm for rural america. I'm glad to be working with the ranking member and chair to strengthen rural america. I share that point of view strongly held by members of this committee that rural america is really about the great values and strength of america, hard work, family, community.
▶ 2:32:14Sen. Welch: Rural america has been under brutal pressure, and I think that every single one of us wants to do everything we can to strengthen it. A strong rural america is a strong america. A couple of things. We have been really blessed in vermont with a very responsive department of agriculture.
▶ 2:32:34Sen. Welch: The rural development organization has helped us through the floods of july 23 and july 20 it has used opportunities to strengthen the economy for farmers. I want to make certain that the things that have been helpful to us we will have some confidence will continue should you be the new secretary of agriculture.
▶ 2:32:54Sen. Welch: Number one, under the previous administration, $40 million went to vermont for energy efficiency programs. We don't have to have a debate about climate change and if it is real or not, but my view is agriculture and our farmers can help us deal with the weather events that are enormous by doing things where they get income to sequester carbon.
▶ 2:33:26Sen. Welch: Without having the climate change discussion, I want to make certain that I can have some confidence that our farmers, who are adopting regenerative agriculture practices, organic agriculture, are doing things that by all estimations make for good, healthy crops and also reduce carbon emissions that will continue to make that possible, and they will get paid to do it not just be asked through regulations to bear the burden?
▶ 2:33:55Mrs. Rollins: Senator welch, thank you. I loved visiting with you and I'm excited to visit vermont if invited. I loved our conversation. We actually talked about the workforce at usda, those who you interacted with. Hearing from you how excellent the service was and the good job that they did meant a lot to me. I look forward to learning more and meeting them if confirmed.
▶ 2:34:20Mrs. Rollins: I think it's important to recognize, senator, I will always have an open dialogue with all of you. I think I gave all of you my cell phone.
▶ 2:34:27Sen. Welch: You did. I want to go through a few things. Another issue is, labor on the farm. We cannot milk our cows, literally, without immigrant labor. I am for a secure border. I think all of us are, but I'm also for legal immigration.
▶ 2:34:50Sen. Welch: That's a real challenge for dairy farmers, and I want to make sure that whatever we do to secure the border doesn't deprive hard-working dairy farms and farmers access to the labor that they absolutely depend on.
▶ 2:35:02Mrs. Rollins: Senator, I appreciate everyone's commitment to a secure border. You are not the only one on this side of the room that has made the point that that is important. There is concern from the ag community about what immigration under president trump will look like. My commitment is, understanding the data and the impact of those in the ag community very farm -- community dairy farms are concerned, everyone is, --
▶ 2:35:34Sen. Welch: We will work together on that? You appreciate the importance of having access to that labor for our dairy farms and others?
▶ 2:35:43Mrs. Rollins: I know that the cows need to be milked 24 hours a day, seven days a week and if there is no one there to milk them that is a problem.
▶ 2:35:59Sen. Welch: The incredible challenges that farmers have is they don't control the weather. A lot of our small farmers are vegetable farmers.they don't have an insurance program that works for them. The insurance program for some of our vegetable folks, they would only get paid wholesale or reimbursed wholesale when they sell at farmers markets at retail. They would also have these incredible documentation process where they had to say how many tomatoes that they had, how many beets they had.
▶ 2:36:26Sen. Welch: I have introduced the weather act to streamline the reporting requirements. I'm not going to ask for the details on that, but we have to have insurance programs that help not just the big commodities, which is a challenge and obligation we have, but the smaller farmers who are the future. Can I count on working with you on that?
▶ 2:36:48Mrs. Rollins: The word streamline is my love language. We will work together on that. We spent a lot of time talking about restoring rural america and how important it is to the next 250 years of our country. That will happen because of our small family farms and rural ranchers.
▶ 2:37:04Sen. Welch: Another issue for young farmers, it is so hard for a young person to get into farming because they cannot get the farmland. There is a lot of concern about chinese possibly buying up private equity. I went farmers to be able to buy farmland. Is that of concern to you?
▶ 2:37:30Sen. Welch: I know having access to farmland for young farmers is, but china may be a threat. Private equity is a threat too. Do you care to comment?
▶ 2:37:38Mrs. Rollins: The average age of a farmer is 58. If we think that we will have a sustainable, thriving ag community in 30 or 50 years after you and I have probably gone to meet our maker, we have to reverse that trend.
▶ 2:37:54Sen. Welch: Rural broadband has made such a difference for our farm communities. Your department has played a major role in facilitating that. We have to continue that and get the last barn on the longest dirt road wired so they can have the advantages that come with access to the internet.
▶ 2:38:17Mrs. Rollins: 100% agree.
▶ 2:38:20Chair Boozman: Senator justice. I thank you for allowing me to be on the committee. I thank thune and anyone responsible for me being here. I am a plainspoken individual.
▶ 2:38:48Chair Boozman: I am hung up all the time on the truth. I will promise you with all in me that I know a tremendous amount about agriculture. You know, I think about, and brooke, I can't call you Mrs. rollins. I can call you secretary. I've asked you over and over to call me jim. I will tell you this.
▶ 2:39:19Chair Boozman: All that will fall in your empire is astronomical. That is all there is to it. I'm amazed with president trump's nominees. That is all there is to it. They have qualified. They are absolutely experienced. They absolutely have put brooke has. She stuck on on. Anybody who can't see that is absolutely not looking.
▶ 2:39:47Chair Boozman: She approaches it with positiveness and a big smile. All of you who came, especially all of her family, I am not amazed in any way. I know that she is infectious around every last one of you, and absolutely you will be a tremendous secretary. That is all there is to it. Let me deviate a little bit and tell you this. This is my view.
▶ 2:40:16Chair Boozman: The american family farm has got to be protected like none other. Today, right now. What we have is the average size of the american family farm is 450 plus or minus acres. You think about that. What are they doing right now? What are they doing right now?
▶ 2:40:41Chair Boozman: You know, maybe in wyoming it may very well be 30 below zero and they are on a snowmobile or horse trying to feed their cattle. Maybe if they are dairyman, or l ady, wherever it may be, there is never a day off. The cows have to be milked. There is never a day off.
▶ 2:41:09Chair Boozman: It may be that little farm sitting, trying to figure out how in the world with fertilizer prices, or whatever it may be, how can we make ends come out or ends work. They are probably driving a 12-year-old pickup truck. They are trying every way they possibly can. Every year there is a texas hold 'em game where they shove everything all in. With all that being said, just think about it.
▶ 2:41:41Chair Boozman: What happens if we lose our american small farm? What happens if -- we go? Corporate interests and on and on and on. They are productive engine like you can't imagine on the planet. You can never imagine their productivity. They are a treasure to every single last one of us, and we best to better protect them and keep them on that farm.
▶ 2:42:11Chair Boozman: They can cash out today with their land, most all, and have a lifestyle that is so much better than their earnings every single year. Why do they do it? They do it because of one thing. They love what they do. They are the best of the best, and they love what they do. We've got to keep them there, and we have to protect them in every single way. I know it in my heart.
▶ 2:42:42Chair Boozman: I believe it with all my soul. If you will just step back and look, the grocery store is a mile long, food belong belief. I know we find an increase in food prices and we should do something about that if we can, but we enjoy a luxury that is off the chart.
▶ 2:43:07Chair Boozman: What we throw away, many around the world would beg to have what we throw away. It is a luxury beyond belief. That small farm that I'm talking about provides us that luxury. Brooke, I've only got one question for you. It is just this. I don't have enough time to go into all of the specifics.
▶ 2:43:31Chair Boozman: From a value-added standpoint, you know, if I could deviate a second to forestry, and I look forward to telling you about this, because I've got a plan that really could very well help bring our furniture manufacturing, our cabinetry, and our flooring manufacturing back from the being in china, vietnam, and mexico, where we have lost it all for all practical purposes, back to us.
▶ 2:44:04Chair Boozman: I want to hear that you are supportive of value added products because it is so important to getting our manufacturing home and what president trump absolutely believes and wants more than anything, again, I am all in with your nomination. 1000%. You will do an amazing job. There is no question about it. Please comment on the value added.
▶ 2:44:31Mrs. Rollins: Sir, no excuse why everything in american agriculture -- american journal but we are here to talk about ag -- is not the best of the world that everything we work on is of the utmost excellent approach and that we continue to build and feed and thrive and preserve the american heritage of the greatest farmers in the world.
▶ 2:44:58Sen. Justice: I am telling you, and everybody should pay close attention, she is a superstar. Maybe it is premature but congratulations.
▶ 2:45:11Mrs. Rollins: As long as I have babydog support.
▶ 2:45:15Sen. Justice: You have babydog every single day.
▶ 2:45:18Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, sir.
▶ 2:45:21Chair Boozman: Babydog is the difference in you getting on the committee or not. [laughter]
▶ 2:45:28Sen. Justice: Babydog trumps be every single day.
▶ 2:45:34Chair Boozman: Senator warner.
▶ 2:45:37Sen. Warner: I don't know how to follow that. Welcome to the committee. Thank you, chairman. I want to take a moment to congratulate you and ranking member klobuchar and your appointment to lead this committee. I look forward to working with both of you, met with each of you and I've enjoyed our relationship. Mrs. rollins, good morning. Welcome to you and to your family and all those who are here to support you.
▶ 2:46:08Sen. Warner: Congratulations on your nomination. I enjoyed meeting with you last month to discuss your nomination and plans for usda. This morning I would like to follow-up on some of the issues, many of which we have already discussed.
▶ 2:46:22Sen. Warner: The first that has come to my attention that a recent executive order has led to the potential termination of usda's liaisons to our 1890 land grant institutions, institutions like fort valley state university and fort valley, georgia. Strong bipartisan support these institutions.
▶ 2:46:47Sen. Warner: You've done an incredible job, often doing so much for so many with so very little for such a long time, that people -- it is lost on people to work that these institutions do every day. I'm deeply concerned about this and the voices shut out at usda. If confirmed, will you commit to supporting our 1890 institutions?
▶ 2:47:10Mrs. Rollins: I believe prayer area -- prairie a&m is one of those institutions which I very familiar with and partnered as a student at texas a&m in the last administration worked with. I'm not familiar with exactly what you are speaking of, but my commitment to you is to find out and continue a really important discussion and to learn more about the issue.
▶ 2:47:33Sen. Warnock: The executive order could lead to the potential termination of usda's liaisons to these 1890 institutions, which help them navigate their relationship with usda. Can I have your commitment to protect those who serve these institutions at the usda?
▶ 2:47:55Mrs. Rollins: Again, I would want to know more and understand more before I can make that commitment. Clearly, those institutions are important, bipartisan supported, and have my commitment to have a robust dialogue at any moment come any time of day or night to ensure we have all of the data as we are making any decisions.
▶ 2:48:15Sen. Warnock: I appreciate that. I've had good relationships and good bipartisan work supporting these institutions. I hope you'll keep an eye on that issue.
▶ 2:48:27Mrs. Rollins: I will.
▶ 2:48:29Sen. Warnock: Last year I worked with my college to provide $21 billion to help farmers recover from natural disasters like hurricane helene. Farmers do work. It is a tough his nose. There is so much they don't control. The markets are narrow. I do everything I can. I cannot overstate how critical it is for usda to distribute this assistance, this disaster assistance to georgia farmers as quickly as possible.
▶ 2:49:00Sen. Warnock: But also as equitably as possible. If confirmed, briefly because I want to get to these questions, how will you work to ensure disaster assistance is distributed both swiftly and equitably?
▶ 2:49:11Mrs. Rollins: I will try to answer quickly. The day I got the call from president trump it was saturday, november 23 we were in our motorhome traveling across the country to an aggie football game. Within a few hours of accepting the nomination, began to immediately pivot to how to distribute this disaster and economic aid working with a few of the senators on this committee. Clearly, I am not confirmed yet so this will await my arrival.
▶ 2:49:38Mrs. Rollins: In the meantime, we have already announced the undersecretary who work on this in the last truck administration who is already building the team who distributed the sponsor they know it they are doing.
▶ 2:49:53Sen. Warnock: We work with our stake agriculture commissioner to ensure georgia producers, including our foresters, have the support they need from usda to get that assistance without having to jump through a bunch of bureaucratic hoops?
▶ 2:50:04Mrs. Rollins: Of course.
▶ 2:50:07Sen. Warnock: Will you get that to all eligible farmers, including those with her shortly left out of usda assistance often due to discrimination?
▶ 2:50:18Mrs. Rollins: We will follow the law and ensure that is the case.
▶ 2:50:23Sen. Warnock: Yes or no?
▶ 2:50:24Mrs. Rollins: Yes.
▶ 2:50:26Sen. Warnock: Thank you. Fighting hunger has long been a part of my life's rk. Long before I was elected to the senate. I am a pastor and the one miracle story in all the gospel, all four, is the feeding of the 5000. I constantly hear from georgia farmers -- georgia families about how their dollar just as in as far at the grocery store as it used to.
▶ 2:50:53Sen. Warnock: The average georgian participating in snap, food assistance program, provides critical nutrition, aid for most vulnerable families, has about $6.15 a day to spend on food. In your view, is that adequate to avoid hunger for georgia families?
▶ 2:51:12Mrs. Rollins: This is a supplemental program. I'm just getting my arms around it. There are few that will be in my role if confirmed that have a passion for this more than I do most of serving those who are most in need. It is a driving force of my entire life. It must sent me to seminary but I ended up in public policy instead.
▶ 2:51:35Mrs. Rollins: So you have my wholehearted commitment to look and ensure the people who need this the most are receiving it in the best way possible. At the same time, ensuring all of the tax dollars spent on it are also spent in the best way possible.
▶ 2:51:51Sen. Warnock: One of the things as these families struggle, one of the things I'm concerned about our cutting critical assistance and creating additional red tape families participating in these programs. Do you think creating more bureaucratic red tape to families will help them purchase nutritious food?
▶ 2:52:10Mrs. Rollins: I think it is important we take a wholesale look at every one of these programs and ensure they are serving the people that are needing the programs and they are safety net that truly set out to be. Obviously, I do not like the words "bureaucracy" or "redtape," that ensuring we have set up the appropriate lifelines and structure so we can get these resources to the families that need them than most.
▶ 2:52:35Sen. Warnock: Work requirements -- and I support work. I was raised by a and mother with commitment -- by a father and mother with a serious work ethic. We want these families to have a basic safety net. I think it is important to remember that. The most important people are children.
▶ 2:53:02Sen. Warnock: Step has proven to reduce health care costs and stimulate our local economies. If confirmed, hope we can find ways to work together to ensure our most vulnerable families and neighbors can afford groceries. As someone who preaches the parable -- got the parable, but the miracle of the feeding of the 5000, I think it is the right thing to do but also I think it is the smart thing to do.
▶ 2:53:26Mrs. Rollins: You have my commitment and my friend Dr. king has spoken of that multiples of times. Looking forward to working.
▶ 2:53:36Sen. Warnock: I'm her family's pastor.
▶ 2:53:38Mrs. Rollins: I am very well aware. Thank you.
▶ 2:53:41Chair Boozman: Senator grassley.
▶ 2:53:44Sen. Grassley: Congratulations. Like other senators, I think you will a good job. I want to start out by thinking you like senator durbin did for during the trump administration, working with us on the act.
▶ 2:54:03Sen. Grassley: You are actively involved in a lot of the negotiations between democrats and republicans on the hill here as well as between us and the first trump administration. You worked hard. I noticed after you took the oath, and first question you got was are you going to answer our letters? Remember what I told you in my office.
▶ 2:54:26Sen. Grassley: As I tell every confirmed person coming to my office, you ought to say "maybe" because I pointed out to you how I had 158 letters to the justice department that are still unanswered. So they said yes but they turned out to be liars. And that is true of republican and democrat administration's generally.
▶ 2:54:51Sen. Grassley: So I hope since you said "I do" you will tell all of your colleagues in the cabinet the same darn thing or they will be liars.
▶ 2:54:57Mrs. Rollins: Yes, sir. I hear you loud and clear. I had to leave we will be able to answer your letters to the best of my abilities, sir.
▶ 2:55:10Sen. Grassley: At least one other person, senator ernst brought up the importance of whistleblowers. The information she got from them. I am not sure I want to ask you a question, I just want to tell you what is on my mind and that is you have got tens of thousands of people working under you. You can't know what they do.
▶ 2:55:32Sen. Grassley: You ought to listen to whistleblowers and it is not you yourself listening to whistleblowers, it is you establishing a culture within your agency that middle-management is going to listen to whistleblowers because then they don't have to come and bother me. I got 38 investigations going, most of it has come from whistleblower information about fraud or the law not being followed or missed spending the money and all that. So listen to whistleblowers, will you?
▶ 2:56:02Mrs. Rollins: Yes, sir, and my 100% commitment. I really look forward to that.
▶ 2:56:10Sen. Grassley: The next thing is , the legal term actively engaged in farming is not enforced. We have got too many people on wall street getting farm payments that should not be getting it.
▶ 2:56:29Sen. Grassley: So I want to make sure that all of this manipulation that has gone on in the department agriculture both democrats and republicans delete the term "actively engaged" and I'm being a little facetious when I say this but you ought to at least have dirt under your fingernails if you're going to get payments from the taxpayers for your farming operation.
▶ 2:56:55Sen. Grassley: So I expect actively engaged to be fully enforced by you and whatever, however it has been diluted. You want to take a look at it and make sure it is stiffer than what it otherwise was. And then when we get into this negotiations on a five year farm bill, I don't expect you to answer this now, but just let me tell you there can be tremendous savings to the taxpayers.
▶ 2:57:26Sen. Grassley: You can even discuss this with Mr.m musk of doge and people at omb, if you can put it cap on what one farmer can get from the farm program so we aren't subsidizing big farmers that get bigger and I got nothing wrong with the marketplace working for people get as big as they want to get, but we should not be subsidizing it.
▶ 2:57:53Sen. Grassley: The whole point of an agricultural five year farm bill safety net is to protect people that are medium and full-size farmers that can't control what happens to them whether it is a natural disaster or a grain embargo or some war in kyiv. Big farmers can handle that for small farmers can't.
▶ 2:58:23Sen. Grassley: And that seems to be the same reason we put out disaster relief for farmers in the bill that just passed before christmas, and you're going to administer, there is the same reason that we have a safety net for farmers on prices generally and things beyond their control. So I try every farm bill to get this done.
▶ 2:58:45Sen. Grassley: The most successful farm bill I had, and I hope I am successful this time, was 2015 when I got a cap put on in both the house and senate in exactly the same language and it should not have been diluted at all or changed at all when it goes to conference because those were the rules of conference.
▶ 2:59:08Sen. Grassley: At the congressman from texas, I don't know his name, that was chairman of the ag committee at that time -- you probably know who he was -- he did not like it and he diluted it until it was practically meaningless at this point. If you want to save some taxpayers money, look at that issue when I bring it up again.
▶ 2:59:32Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, sir.
▶ 2:59:35Sen. Grassley: Another thing is, we had the first trump administration, get a couple times in the biden administration -- we had a couple times in the biden administration, use money from the commodity credit corporation that I don't think should have been used. And the power of the person rests with covers under article one of the constitution.
▶ 3:00:05Sen. Grassley: Money can't be spent without authority of congress. And billions have been wasted that way. I hope you don't get involved in wasting those dollars. I will end with the stockyards act. I think it is stronger than anything the justice department can do under antitrust laws to protect the welfare of the farmer to make sure the marketplace is working.
▶ 3:00:33Sen. Grassley: Thank god vilsack just before he left office put out some regulations that will help enforce the stockyards act, particularly to protect livestock producers and how concentrated areas of agriculture -- highly concentrated areas of agriculture, the capital improvement payment system, the american farm bureau federation
▶ 3:01:06Sen. Grassley: Has spoken positively about these issues. I think there were some more that are on the books that maybe you can take a look at that he did not get around to putting out. Maybe they are little more controversial that the package stockyards act as the most effective tool to make sure the marketplace works for the american farmer. Thank you.
▶ 3:01:25Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator. I'm looking forward to working with you and continuing to move forward, especially focusing on our small family farms in rural america.
▶ 3:01:38Chair Boozman: Sinners locked in.
▶ 3:01:41Sen. Slotkin: I am honored to be here. I have really big shoes to fill. Thank you for our conversation in my office. I appreciate your positive approach to meeting with everybody.
▶ 3:02:04Sen. Slotkin: I have the honor to live on my family farm which used to be beef cattle and now soy and corn , but I'm also a former c.I.a. Officer, pentagon official. So I come to the ag committee with a sense that food security is national security. In the united states should always be able to feed itself by itself. Everything flows from there. If people agree, there are a lot of policies that become pretty clear of the sale of our land to foreign governments or to private equity.
▶ 3:02:34Sen. Slotkin: All of those things. That is the approach that I intend to take. I am also from michigan. We are not kansas or iowa, we are specialty crops. We have the second-most diverse agricultural sector in the country after california. We take pride in not doing mono cropping and doing a lot of fruits and vegetables and a lot of other things. This is why I am particularly concerned about the tariffs. Everyone is talking about tariffs. Mr.
▶ 3:03:03Sen. Slotkin: Trump is throwing them around and I want to review the bidding to make sure particularly with your agency that we are all on the same page on what happened the last time president trump put on tariffs, what happened specifically to our farmers. Just reviewed the bidding, president trump announced 25% tariffs on chinese products, batteries, tv medical devices -- I certainly understand the instinct as a cia officer. I went to push back on china.
▶ 3:03:31Sen. Slotkin: China retaliated and put 25% tariffs on soybeans, fruits, pork, and some other items. Then we got into a trade war. We started adding more things to the list. They started adding more things to the list. It went on and on and back and forth. Suddenly, our farmers across the country are screaming bloody murder because the marketplace to have access to no one wanted to buy her stuff because it had that 25% tariffs. We felt that acutely. What do we do?
▶ 3:04:00Sen. Slotkin: Because we felt under the trump administration people rightfully felt like our farmers were getting the shaft, they rated the ccc account, the emergency needed account that you will have control over, for $23 billion to give subsidies to our farmers. So we put on the tariff, got into a trade war, ended up at our farmers were in trouble, we pay them off.
▶ 3:04:28Sen. Slotkin: Everyone here said no farmer wants subsidy, they want to work. They went to get paid a fair rate for their crop. That emergency fund is the same fund that helps us with things like avian flu that we are now dealing with all over the country. You can imagine as a michigander , the throwing around of tariffs, particularly with canada and mexico and other places, I am trepidation is that this is going to come back to our farmers.
▶ 3:04:56Sen. Slotkin: And when you get confirmed, and it looks like you will come you'll swear an oath to the constitution of the united states, not to president trump. Can you say -- I know you've said it, but for those michiganders watching come of that you will throw your body in front of the bus to make sure that any political talking point on tariffs that may sound good is actually truly tested against how it will impact our farmers, like it was not last time around?
▶ 3:05:22Mrs. Rollins: I appreciate your passion. I share it. I think we are similar in many ways. My commitment is that there will be no sleeping that we will work around the clock to ensure that ag our ag communities across this country are represented in those discussions and at the table and I will do everything in my power to elevate, preserve, honor, conserve the backbone of america.
▶ 3:05:54Sen. Slotkin: I want to know you have a good relationship with president trump and that is a value add, so use it to help our farmers, not just a political talking point. We all want a punch back on china, most of us. But it has to fit reality and not end up boomeranging like last time. Avian flu. We talked about this in my office. Michigan has had -- been dealing with this. Lots of states are in the country are dealing with it. We had human beings, a few getting ill, one passed away.
▶ 3:06:26Sen. Slotkin: We now see it in cats, household pets that are eating birds that have it, that kind of thing. What we have seen -- I think michigan has gotten decently high marks for handling it well because we have cooperated with the federal government. But there is a lot of folks around the country that are not so friendly with the federal government. You are going to be the federal government having to put some muscle behind some of our rules so we don't see the spread.
▶ 3:06:56Sen. Slotkin: And again right now you cannot get a dozen eggs around holly, michigan where I live, for less than $4.69 a dozen. Tell me what you are going to do in the federal government role you are about to take to make sure we stem the spread of avian flu, even the states and farmers were not so friendly with the federal government will stop
▶ 3:07:23Mrs. Rollins: Thank you, senator. I remember our conversation. It is a top priority. I know my opening remarks it is one of my top priorities on day one, putting the right team in place to ensure that what you discussed and outlined is happening.
▶ 3:07:38Mrs. Rollins: I do believe that with my depth of experience with working at all levels of government, specifically at the state level, I've been working closely, I believe probably mostly republican, may be republican, but all the ag commissioners I'm in contact with and will continue to work closely with them if confirmed. There is no doubt the all of government approach worked with a stake and state and local officials is important.
▶ 3:08:06Mrs. Rollins: I got through security at the top of your remarks, that remains paramount I think for all of us.
▶ 3:08:11Sen. Slotkin: I will echo some of senator warnock's comments. We have seen and versions of the farm bill that were created in the past year both in the house and senate that snap is usually the bill payer for at least part of it. Cuts to snap. Additional subsidies to some of our farmers. Frankly, particularly farmers down south. I understand this popular.
▶ 3:08:38Sen. Slotkin: I would just ask you again to look into your heart if the majority of poor people are children, that is not a wor requirement they can meet. Please remember the children and be thoughtful about our approach on snap, not just a political talking point.
▶ 3:08:52Mrs. Rollins: Thank you.
▶ 3:08:54Chair Boozman: Senator fischer.
▶ 3:08:57Sen. Fischer: Thank you. Congratulations. So good to see you. I really appreciated coming to the office last month and a great discussion we had. As you know, the agricultural industry is the economic engine of nebraska. We grow a lot of corn and beans and wheat and sugar beets and livestock.
▶ 3:09:29Sen. Fischer: So we stand the necessity of having that strong economy for our state. How important food security is for our country. I look forward to working with you in the future on that. You noted in your testimony we must demand strong and steady markets for our agricultural county and this is a statement that I hear consistently from our producers as well.
▶ 3:10:00Sen. Fischer: One of those really important markets for nebraska's agriculture is biofuels. Emphasizing our need to be energy dominant.
▶ 3:10:13Sen. Fischer: The president has long recognized that ag producers have a role to play in producing abundant homegrown energy, and he took steps in his executive order declaring a national energy emergency so that we can continue to allow for the sale of e-15 year-round. I have long that an effort to make this policy permanent.
▶ 3:10:39Sen. Fischer: And I look forward to working with my colleagues to deliver on that part of the president's agenda. We know there's going to be a number of other biofuel decisions that will be made in the coming months that will have significant impacts on the biofuel market. I know you have heard from a number of my colleagues on this committee about the importance of that. Can you speak briefly on how you view the importance of biofuel markets for our farmers?
▶ 3:11:10Mrs. Rollins: I will. I loved being in your office and meeting fred fischer and look forward to having more conversations in your office in your home state of nebraska, which is one of the shining stars of our country. In the last few months since the announcement was made that I was going to be hopefully if confirmed joining this administration and the cabinet is the head of usda, I've had multiples of conversations with many of you on the committee and outside the committee.
▶ 3:11:41Mrs. Rollins: Your governor flew to texas to give me a couple of hours of his time to make sure I understood specifically within your state, frankly, how this affects so much of the midwest and our corn states. My commitment is to defend and protect and fight for all of american agriculture.
▶ 3:11:59Mrs. Rollins: In the last administration, this issue was under the national economic council so I did not manage it under the domestic policy council but I was certainly in a lot of the meetings -- which there were a lot of meetings in the oval office -- about this. His executive order in the last few days mentioning biofuels as part of his all above, all of the above strategy to reclaim energy dominance across the world.
▶ 3:12:26Sen. Fischer: President trump was very generous with his time in the oval office famously and we did have a lot of meetings in the oval office.
▶ 3:12:34Mrs. Rollins: I think he said 27.
▶ 3:12:39Senator Fischer: He would like to get this settled as well. Maybe last in the cr, but we will continue to push for that. What we have seen over the last four years, what I have heard has been a lot of disappointment from nebraskans about the lack of any kind of trade agenda from the biden administration. In fact, for the first time in decades, we have had an agricultural trade deficit.
▶ 3:13:06Senator Fischer: As you said earlier, it is projected, record-breaking $45 billion. I understand there can be a variety of factors that impacted trade deficit, but I am concerned that part of this stems from there really any kind of clear agricultural trade agenda from the last administration. We cannot see that happen again.
▶ 3:13:33Senator Fischer: Can you talk about how you would both hold our current trading partners accountable and the role that you will or that you would want to see usda play in developing these new export markets?
▶ 3:13:50Mrs. Rollins: Yes. What is remarkable is 42% of that $45 billion was in the last year. The wheels are falling off. It is very important that the wheels get put back on as soon as possible. I think for those who know me for a long time and even senator, you and I have just gotten to know each other in the recent months, know that I am a relentless cheerleader for whatever it is that I have been called to do.
▶ 3:14:18Mrs. Rollins: For this moment in my life and to be this moment as scripture says, I am called to take agriculture to preserve our rural communities and take our products to the world and work around the clock to ensure that that sort of trade deficit against -- hopefully by the end of our time here in the next four years is completely gone. In fact, we are back in the positive. I believe we can do that. I mentioned earlier I think president trump is the consummate dealmaker.
▶ 3:14:46Mrs. Rollins: His heart for rural america and ranchers and farmers will I certainly will be right next to him whispering in his ear as we move forward on this and I hope and pray that we can begin to solve for this immediately.
▶ 3:15:00Sen. Fischer: Another area that I focused on is how efficient act technology can help our farmers and ranchers to achieve better yields, reduce environmental impact, improve economic returns. I've had a number of bills on that that I will be reintroducing including hopefully in the farm bill that we work on.
▶ 3:15:25Sen. Fischer: Additionally myself and the entire nebraska delegation along with the university of lincoln have been working in a very close partnership with the agri-search service on the national center for resilience and regenerative ag at the innovation campus. Last may we broke ground on the facility. I hope I can continue to work with you to make sure that we get that facility completed.
▶ 3:15:54Sen. Fischer: Can I get your commitment to continue working with me on this facility? Can I get your commitment to come to nebraska? We had sonny perdue at the ranch, had a barbecue with the neighbors. Another trip, we can get you to lincoln and see the ars.
▶ 3:16:12Sen. Fischer: That would be my -- Ms. rollins: that would be my great honor.
▶ 3:16:21Sen. Young: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Welcome to the committee. I know that folks have been recognizing you but we just want to say welcome. I look forward to working with you in whatever capacity I can. My late father also served in the mexico legislature, appreciated some of those good projects that he had with some of the new family, extended family of members from texas I got to know as a young person, so welcome to the committee. Ms.
▶ 3:16:50Sen. Young: Rollins, thank you for being here. Appreciate the conversation that we had in the office as well. One of the areas I shared in our conversation is something that I hold deeply as I expressed to you which is that every american should be able to have food on their table.
▶ 3:17:08Sen. Young: No one should go hungry in america no matter what zip code or area code they live in, no matter how much money they make eye appreciated my colleagues raising issues and some of these areas of nutritional programs and given the important role that the secretary of agriculture plays in administering federal nutrition programs, I'd like to better understand your vision for them.
▶ 3:17:31Sen. Young: I did my due diligence to go through the america first policy institute's documents but I wasn't able to find anything that I could digest -- maybe the wrong word to use -- to addressing hunger in america. Do you agree in america -- let me ask you this way. Do you believe in an america that is truly great, that our children do not go hungry?
▶ 3:17:57Ms. Rollins: Yes.
▶ 3:18:01Sen. Lujan: Updates to the thrifty food plan in 2021, a program that you would have a lot of say over lifted about two point 4 million snack participants including one million children out of poverty. That is good. It is not great yet because we have not done it all but it's a good start. Ms.
▶ 3:18:24Sen. Lujan: Rollins, yes or no, will you commit to opposing any cuts to snap that would prevent americans including millions of children from putting food on the table?
▶ 3:18:32Ms. Rollins: Senator, probably not surprising to you, I cannot commit to that. It is of utmost importance to me and you and I discussed that, that we solve this, it is not just hunger but nutrition as well for so many of our children that don't have access to those programs. I also know I have a duty to the taxpayer who is funding in significant numbers those programs.
▶ 3:18:58Ms. Rollins: I sincerely believe working together and working with other members of this committee it's important to chairman boozman as well that we can find a solution that may or may not end up in cuts. I don't know. That is something I need to spend more time on, research the data, meet with more people. I cannot make that commit me to you today but I can make the commitment for a lot of time, thought, conversation as we move down that road.
▶ 3:19:22Sen. Lujan: I appreciate that. I'm always reminded that budgets are a reflection of values depending on how those motors are put forward. I certainly hope in an america, while we all have a responsibility, fiscal responsibility, at our priorities would say children shouldn't go hungry in america. I hope that is something that we can find commonality on down the road.
▶ 3:19:49Sen. Lujan: I want to drill down on something more specific, a program for women, infants, and children. One of those acronym programs that you talk about that are over at the department of agriculture. For decades, republicans and democrats have supported full funding for this program, meaning no eligible mother or child is turned away. In your capacity as secretary, is this a program that we can count on your support with?
▶ 3:20:16Ms. Rollins: I believe that is one of the 16 nutrition programs across the department of agriculture purview. I have not spent as much time as I hoped to in the coming days and weeks once confirmed to really dig into that but clearly , my heart, this administration, I believe speaking for the full administration, clearly, america is the place where everyone should have the opportunity to be part of a safety net when needed and wic I realize is an
▶ 3:20:49Ms. Rollins: Important part of that safety net.
▶ 3:20:50Sen. Lujan: I appreciate that response. In the area of specialty crops. Everyone brags on whose is best.
▶ 3:20:58Ms. Rollins: New mexico.
▶ 3:21:02Sen. Lujan: I am sharing the concern that many have shared around small farms. 53 percent of new mexico farms are eight acres or less. The one that I am on is under five. I'm concerned as well with what is happening with small farms across america. Whether it is water rights being gobbled up, taken for something else, away from agricultural water rights, who is buying them, what they are turning into.
▶ 3:21:31Sen. Lujan: It is of one of the reasons I introduced a piece of legislation with senator moran, a farmer to farmer education act. I will never forget a conversation I had with a grower back home, asking about usda programs. He said we don't do so well qualified for those programs and all the rest. You are doing better than most, tell me how. He said I have to learn how to farm usda. Maybe that works for some but not for all.
▶ 3:22:01Sen. Lujan: I agree with everyone that has talked about the red tape that exists for some of these programs. We have to find a better way. These are people spending time growing food. They shouldn't be stuck behind a desk figure out what document needs to go here, go there. We have to find a better way. I appreciate your commitment already in that area, commitment to work with small farms.
▶ 3:22:25Sen. Lujan: The other area I raised in our meeting, and I just got off the phone with someone, so I apologize for excusing myself, but the hermits canyon fire, a fire that started a few years ago that became the largest in new mexico's history. I appreciate my republican and democrat colleagues for supporting me in helping me create a fund specific for this fire. This fire started as a prescribed burn.
▶ 3:22:55Sen. Lujan: My brother actually called in to try to burn our ditches and things around our house, called the local fire department. That is the way the permit works. Can I burn today? They will tell you, no burning today. He got a no burn the day that they started this prescribed burn, got out of control. I was told by usda, very few percentage of our prescribed fires turn into big burns.
▶ 3:23:25Sen. Lujan: Two months later, guess what happened in new mexico. We had another. There was an investigation in the investigation showed rather than using the infrared technology, some folks put their hands on and it didn't feel warm, so they walked away. Then the wind kicked up. We know what happens when you get a little bit of a breeze. Sometimes we do it ourselves, give it a breath.
▶ 3:23:53Sen. Lujan: There has to be a better way to ensure the technology that we can secure, firefighters get paid properly, so that this does not happen anywhere in america again. I will close with this, Mr. chairman. I appreciate, Ms. rollins, your commitment to you working with governors and fema to make sure that when the program exists, that money gets out the door. Good luck with everything. Again, an honor to have you.
▶ 3:24:22Ms. Rollins: Thank you, senator. Simple
▶ 3:24:29Simsen. Moran: Otherwise, I will feel too much pressure to be brief.
▶ 3:24:35Chair Boozman: They told me the majority leader is here and it is customary, he was trying to be, show his servant leadership and let you go. >> I was trying to do the same thing and I deferred to the senator from south dakota.
▶ 3:24:52Chair Boozman: It's a real tribute. Senator thune right now is a busy person, trying to get the railroad going here, doing a lot of different things. Shows just how important agriculture is not only to him but to his state. Thank you. This issue is incredibly important.
▶ 3:25:22Chair Boozman: The folks on this committee, the number one industry in our state is south dakota. We know that you'll be great in this job, look forward to moving you confirmed and off to work. Several things that need to be worked on. We have a record trade deficit in agriculture which we've never seen before. One area of the economy where we've always had trade surpluses. The emergency relief programs have not worked well, a lot of glitches that need to be smoothed out. We want you to jump on that one as well.
▶ 3:25:54Chair Boozman: I would say among the issues that I want to touch on quickly, and you have been here forever, we want to try to keep this brief so my colleague from kansas can ask questions but I want to talk to in a couple of things that are important in my home state. As you know, I've been a long time supporter for mandatory origin of country labeling for beef products. South dakota cattle is some of the highest quality in the world.
▶ 3:26:22Chair Boozman: The system in which the system operates needs to be fair and transparent. We took a step to pass legislation tasking usda and ustr to find a path forward on mandatory country of origin labeling. It confirmed, will you commit to work closely with my office as well as with the wto compliant path forward for mandatory country of origin labeling?
▶ 3:26:44Ms. Rollins: Yes, sir, I look forward to that and hopefully I can be a value add and a consensus driven approach to that. I appreciate your leadership and passion on this.
▶ 3:26:54Sen. Thune: Look forward to that. As you know, the black hills is an important timber producer, processors and communities depend upon the forest service for nearly 8% of the raw material. In turn, the forest service depends on the capacity for the processors to manage the forest. I know this has been touched on specifically but I want to talk about the black hills.
▶ 3:27:22Sen. Thune: Since 2019, the timber sale program on the black hills for us has been cut drastically. Sales announced for this fiscal year are approximately 25% of what is allowed for in the current forest plan. In 2021, one of the three primary sawmills in the black hills closed citing a lack of U.S. forest service timber sales as the primary factor.
▶ 3:27:47Sen. Thune: Today, the remaining sawmills are operating at 50% in current financial losses and trucking in material from other states. This is not sustainable. The bonded administration policies have decimated the timber industry, forest products industry in the black hills of south dakota. It is not sustainable for companies, communities, or frankly for the national forest. We have got to manage our forest in a way that reduces the wildfire risk that exists out there.
▶ 3:28:16Sen. Thune: We are starting to see evidence of another pine beetle epidemic in the black hills. I guess my question is if confirmed, will you commit to work with us quickly and the entire delegation of the black hills national forest footprint and the forest products industry to understand the issues at hand and get much-needed attention and priority and hopefully relief to what is a very dire situation in the black hills national forest?
▶ 3:28:43Ms. Rollins: Yes, sir. I become acutely aware that not just in your home state but in multiple states this industry is being decimated by current policies. I believe I speak for the larger administration and president trump that that is unacceptable. Whatever we need to do within reason and within the law to turn the ship on that you have my full commitment and as much time as I can possibly give building the best team coming getting our undersecretary in this arena confirmed as soon as possible.
▶ 3:29:14Ms. Rollins: We have already begun the path forward on that. I really look forward to working with you on going and hopefully moving very quickly.
▶ 3:29:20Sen. Thune: We will close quickly to get you confirmed and hopefully the people will have a direct response ability for this. It is that urgent. This is an emergency. People in the black hills and the jobs that go with it are really desperate. Finally, on just the beginning farmers, it is challenging to think as you know, because of some of the barriers to entry to get into agriculture.
▶ 3:29:49Sen. Thune: Making that easier and not harder, less expensive is something we focused on. I have a bill with senator klobuchar that we can talk to you later about. Crop insurance has always been the foundation, cornerstone of the safety net. We try to refine each time we do a farm bill. This farm bill which the chairman will lead us through will be my fifth.
▶ 3:30:10Sen. Thune: As we do that, I would encourage you to work with us to find ways to strengthen and fortify the existing safety net programs and look at ways that we can provide incentives and encourage beginning farmers and young people who desire and aspire to become involved in production agriculture to be able to do so.
▶ 3:30:29Ms. Rollins: Thank you for that. The average age of the farm in america is 58 years old. That is not sustainable. If we hope to revivify and restore our family communities and family farms, we have to address this immediately. Whatever that looks like, whatever the wholesale approach could be or should be I will be the biggest advocate, biggest cheerleader. I'll be in the white house talking about it all the time, working with all of you to fix that.
▶ 3:30:58Ms. Rollins: I think it is of dire importance for the future of our country.
▶ 3:31:00Sen. Thune: Thank you, Ms. rollins. Mr. chairman, thank you.
▶ 3:31:05Ms. Rollins: Thank you so much, senator.
▶ 3:31:08Chair Boozman: We are still on the first round. Senator moran.
▶ 3:31:14Sen. Moran: Thank you. I am pleased to be a new member of the senate agricultural committee. It took a waiver that probably involve the majority of leaders approvals, so I'm pleased to have that debt cleared.
▶ 3:31:28Ms. Rollins: You are all free.
▶ 3:31:32Sen. Moran: Ms. rollins, thank you for the conversation in my office, thank you for serving. I want to go through maybe five things that I want to talk about briefly. It has been described the dangerous and dramatic circumstances that farmers and ranchers find themselves in across the country. It is certainly true in kansas. We have the same difficulties that everybody else has across the country with high input costs and low commodity prices.
▶ 3:32:04Sen. Moran: I would add that almost 80% of the counties in kansas are in a drought circumstance. So you add it to the problems that we cannot grow a crop is dramatic. This is the least amount of wheat harvested in kansas city since 1961. There are significant challenges, highlights what senator coons said about the importance about our risk management crop insurance, perhaps as important as anything else we will do.
▶ 3:32:36Sen. Moran: But our failure to pass a farm bill, and one of the reasons I'm excited about being on the senate agricultural committee, this really does have to be our shot at getting the farm bill done. I cannot imagine there can be another excuse. We will have administration cheering us on. Senator boseman, senator klobuchar are two people that I think we will see work together and I pledge to do my part to accomplish that.
▶ 3:33:04Sen. Moran: As a result of all of these other probably passed disaster assistance, economic and natural disaster, I just want to again remind you of the timeliness. Our farmers are going to their bankers, have been to their bankers. There is not time for a farmer to wait to see what the consequences are. If you at usda could tell farmers how the program will be administered, even before the checks are determined, that will be valuable as they put it into their planning process.
▶ 3:33:33Sen. Moran: Helpful to them and their banker. I will remind you, in my view, certainly my farmers at home, the way that disaster assistance was implemented in 2022 did not help the farmers who suffered the greatest losses. So the way your predecessor implemented the disaster payments was very damaging, very discouraging, very disappointing.
▶ 3:34:03Sen. Moran: We would ask you to do so to implement as the payments were determined in the 20182019 crop years usda dispersed in addition to asking that question, you would also be complied with congressional law and intent. We work hard to make clear that whoever the secretary of agriculture was, whatever administration, they couldn't go back and do it in the way that provided almost -- very little disaster assistance.
▶ 3:34:35Sen. Moran: That is number one.
▶ 3:34:37Ms. Rollins: Yes. And since we have senator thune still here, the quicker we can get our undersecretary approved in that lane, the quicker we'll be able to move. My conversation -- confirmation as well. We have already begun putting the team to go that did this work under the first trump administration. My thought was we wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel, we can immediately begin moving. That is my commitment. I will work all hours to ensure that happens.
▶ 3:35:06Sen. Moran: Thank you for the answer. I also want to highlight a few words that I mentioned in our conversation in my office. The national bio and agro defense facility. In manhattan, kansas, near kansas state university is this national center, created as a result of the fear of an introduction of some entity, something in our food supply system that would be a terrorist act, and do we have the capability scientifically to respond?
▶ 3:35:37Sen. Moran: That facility is a 1.5 million dollar facility, employs 400 people. It has greater potential than what has been developed between department of homeland security and department of agriculture. It has been transferred to usda, it's your responsibility. If you could give me a point person now or a few days from now which could become my point person on the national bio agro science facility.
▶ 3:36:03Ms. Rollins: Yes, sir. I cannot do it at this moment but I will absolutely get that to you as soon as I have the ability to do that. I don't know if I wait to be confirmed. If I do, hopefully that will become upon confirmation soon.
▶ 3:36:18Sen. Moran: It seems to me that we should be working for your fast confirmation.
▶ 3:36:22Ms. Rollins: That seems like a good idea.
▶ 3:36:25Sen. Moran: Let me highlight nifa, ers. The trump administration in the past the that they wanted to put department agencies, federal employees across the country, not totally centered here in washington, D.C., the nation's capital. Nifa and ers agencies were moved to kansas city.
▶ 3:36:48Sen. Moran: I think what happened is, in the circumstances here in washington, D.C., there were 700 employees. I am told there are 400 employees now in kansas city. At least by press reports, only 20% of the people are actually working in the office.
▶ 3:37:09Sen. Moran: If we want to have the kind of consequence in reviving rural america, other places in the country, there are only a kansas issue but a kansas, nebraska, iowa, where sometimes our farm kids cannot get a job on the family farm but they want to work in agriculture. Or it is the spouse of somebody on the farm. Having those agencies and their employees in places like kansas and missouri, iowa, nebraska creates opportunities that would otherwise not exist.
▶ 3:37:39Sen. Moran: In my view, the purpose of the move was defeated in the reality of telling people, well, you stay in D.C. and work from home. That fits into the conversation on number of us had about getting ust and other federal employees back in the office.
▶ 3:37:55Ms. Rollins: I 100 percent agree with you. I'm extremely excited to get our workforce back into the office weather here in washington or out across the country. In the business that we are in at usda, a customer business, being available for our customers, whether that is up in senator welch as vermont or my texas, where ever, that we have people in the office. That will be a very big priority of mine.
▶ 3:38:23Sen. Moran: Thank you. I'm involved in renewable aviation fuel. We have introduced legislation, farm to flight. It been made a part of the draft of both the house and senate farm bill's. I would just ask your awareness that there is an opportunity for agriculture across the country as we begin to fuel the aviation industry.
▶ 3:38:50Sen. Moran: In kansas, the air capital of the world, agricultural center, has a great potential as we talk about, if we have a loss in the market, we need every market we can get. It also requires a good definition from 45z and the treasury department, which you said you will advocate for. Finally, we have an ars research center in manhattan, kansas.
▶ 3:39:19Sen. Moran: Kansas state university has a tremendous amount of agricultural research. We would like to see cooperation between the two including potentially the co-location of their work, facilities for ars are nothing that they should be. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. A number of us including the chairman of the committee who are members of the appropriations committee the department of agriculture. We want to help you get better facilities.
▶ 3:39:49Sen. Moran: I would just like to highlight the need for cooperation, if we are going to expand a facility, can we do it in conjunction with the local university and get a bigger bang for the buck?
▶ 3:39:58Ms. Rollins: I encourage that discussion. As a proud agricultural degree from texas a&m, still close to the leadership there. In fact, our vice chancellor was hoping to be there today but ended up having to give a speech. My heart is with a lot of these universities with all of our land grants across the country.
▶ 3:40:18Sen. Moran: I like the response except there was some thing you should have said about the importance of other land-grant universities, for example, kansas state.
▶ 3:40:26Ms. Rollins: For example, kansas state. [laughter] excited to continue the work with you.
▶ 3:40:33Sen. Moran: Ms. kirwin, thank you for raising a great daughter.
▶ 3:40:37Ms. Rollins: Thank you, sir.
▶ 3:40:39Chair Boozman: Senator schiff five minutes. Subtle shift thank you, Mr. chairman. Ms. rollins, right now, farm workers in ventura county are picking strawberries in a brown haze, smoke from the fires. It is a surreal scene to look at images of working in those conditions.
▶ 3:41:08Chair Boozman: These are just some of the difficult conditions that farmworkers are often in, working in 100 degrees heat, working in the cold. They are some of the hardest working people I've ever met. I want to raise the issue of the impact that mass deportations would have on them.
▶ 3:41:25Chair Boozman: First and foremost on people who are working so hard to put food on the table and to me, the grave injustice of deporting people who are doing such vital work to feed us, there is also the impact on their families, many of them have children who are U.S. citizens, will be U.S. citizens so it would have the effect of splitting up their families.
▶ 3:41:57Chair Boozman: Even if we set that aside, which we shouldn't, it's estimated that perhaps half of california's farm workforce is undocumented. So my question is, how are you supposed to farm, how are farmers in california supposed to survive if there are truly mass deportations in which half the workforce is sent out of the country? Americans don't want to do that work.
▶ 3:42:26Chair Boozman: It is frankly just too backbreaking. So who is going to work the farms?
▶ 3:42:31Ms. Rollins: Senator, we talked about this in your office, had a productive, perhaps agree to disagree but productive conversation. I so appreciate that. We have talked within the committee in the last three or four hours as well. President trump ran and was overwhelmingly elected on the priority of border security and mass deportation.
▶ 3:42:58Ms. Rollins: He and his team are I'm assuming currently putting in place the plans to begin that process, first, with those who have committed criminal offenses once they have been here. The american people have asked for a secure border. And a system where they do not have to be concerned with the millions and millions that crossed here illegally and brought a lot of strife and unsafe communities to america.
▶ 3:43:29Ms. Rollins: I know it is not the committee where we discussed this. I know the last thing you want to do is get into a debate about this. I sure don't want to. But let me answer your question. I will work around the clock with our new secretary if she is confirmed. Everyone agreed there is h2a important changes that need to be made within the agricultural community, the importance of a strong labor force.
▶ 3:43:57Sen. Schiff: I still want to get back to my question of, if they are god, who is going to do the work?
▶ 3:44:04Ms. Rollins: We don't know first of all who they are even we all throw numbers around like 40%, 50 >> the answer is we just don't know and as these processes and programs are being rented under this administration with the full support of the majority of americans, I think that we as the leaders in agriculture, myself as a leader along with others in the, that we
▶ 3:44:35Ms. Rollins: Will work together to understand and solve for some of the problems that the dairy cattle have to be milked but if we have need to do with the lord department, also an act person. Working with congress to solve for a lot of this through our current programs. Current labor programs already on the books.
▶ 3:45:04Ms. Rollins: -- >> labor is going to be scarce. Isn't that inevitably going to push up food prices and if so, isn't that in sharp contrast with what the president said he wanted to do to bring down food prices and everything else? >> we are speaking in hypotheticals. You do need to be thinking through them. It is a very fair point.
▶ 3:45:32Ms. Rollins: The president has made food inflation and the cost of food one ofi worked alongside. I believe in his vision and his commitment to america and to his promises and in so doing, I believe that we will be able to find in our toolkit what we need to do to solve for any hypothetical issues that end up turning out to be real moving forward in the coming months and years. >> thank you.
▶ 3:46:03Ms. Rollins: I hope they are hypothetical. I fear they may be all too real. I yield back. >> thank you. Senator klobuchar is supposedly on the way so I'm going to ask one question. You are welcome to answer it. Any thoughts that you have as you close? She is here then. We are in great shape. We are out of here. >> I am available all the time.
▶ 3:46:35Ms. Rollins: >> this hearing has been really good. We have great participation and because of that, it takes a while. As you heard, there's lots of questions, lots of concerns in farm country. Not only that but people forget how broad the ag -- the portfolio that you are taking on . You know, we could be talking about crypto.
▶ 3:47:04Ms. Rollins: We could be talking about a lot of stuff, but we are not. [laughter] >> but let me just ask you one thing that I don't think has come up is the fact that -- depends on usda's conservation programs. Conservation, technical assistance that meet their operations in unique resource concerns.
▶ 3:47:34Ms. Rollins: In recent years, the focus is identifying a lot of other things that may be a top-down approach for pushing, prioritizing related activities on the water quality. Those things are important yet again.
▶ 3:48:00Ms. Rollins: What I want you to talk about is the fact that you have been committed to voluntary, locally led, incentivized conservation model to serve for many years. >> highwood, senator. The best conservationist are our ranchers and farmers. One thing I don't think I've talked about with anybody is my family on our farm in minnesota come a piece of the land participated in one of those voluntary conservation programs.
▶ 3:48:30Ms. Rollins: We have firsthand knowledge of how to do it and I believe how important and invaluable it can be. Yes, I look forward to -- my personal experience -- my sister led it. I can't pretend to know much but I was grateful for her and our family. I look forward to learning more, but yes, you have my commitment that clearly, that is an important piece of all the work. >> any closing comments?
▶ 3:49:03Ms. Rollins: >> I do have closing comments but I am guessing senator warnock might have another question or two. >> thank you so very much. Just a couple of more questions, and thank you so very much for your presentation this morning. Farmers in georgia are already talking to me. They are already concerned about potential retaliatory actions following president trump's promises to levy heavy tariffs.
▶ 3:49:36Ms. Rollins: They are already dealing with slim margins as I said in the first round of questions. It is a tough business. So much you do not control and it is not difficult to find yourself in trouble. They are dealing with slim margins due to high input costs in the last thing they need is to be caught up in the middle of a trade war that could drive up food prices for all of us. If confirmed, what will you do from here position at usda to ensure that george's farmers and families are not caught up in a trade war?
▶ 3:50:08Ms. Rollins: It is something I have worked on with republicans and with helping to get our farmers goods to market so it is something we think about a lot. >> senator warnock, when I was in your office last month, we talked about your commitment to your farmers and what a priority this was to you.
▶ 3:50:25Ms. Rollins: Georgia is a very important agricultural state so you are obviously pastoring a church and in the united states senate but I was impressed at your commute -- your commitment and look forward to continuing to work with you. It's very clear that the coming tariffs. I think there is no doubt that trump has been very transparent.
▶ 3:50:49Ms. Rollins: This is an externally important tool in his toolkit to put america first, to revive the economy, to get us back to a place where he believes we need to be and I agree with him and hope to help him execute that vision but it also should not be surprising that his heart and his commitment to our farmers and agricultural community was certainly clear in the last administration.
▶ 3:51:14Ms. Rollins: The number one answer from my perspective is working around the clock to expand market access and working on new trade deals and getting new partners from around the world. I have an undersecretary already named, hopefully get him confirmed. He will be committed and confirmed. Get him confirmed very quickly so we can begin to build those teams.
▶ 3:51:35Ms. Rollins: The president is a consummate dealmaker and I feel very confident we will be able to expand those markets and peel back the trade deficit and get back to trade surpluses which I know we are used to. But immediately moving into the distribution of disaster relief, economic relief, the new farm bill that is coming out, I already announced to the undersecretary and put the team in place. >> let me press on.
▶ 3:52:03Ms. Rollins: I agree with you that access to farmworkers is critical and in georgia, we have a lot of sectors that are relying on strong export market. Are you concerned that isolationist trade practices may harm our farmers ability to access these farmworkers? >> I have full confidence in president trump's ability to lead us on this and hopefully, he and many of you have confidence in my ability to help from the ag perspective.
▶ 3:52:32Ms. Rollins: >> I look forward to continuing to engage you on this if you are confirmed. Usda has a long documented and unfortunate history of racial discrimination in recent history. I was proud to have secured funding in the inflation reduction asked to provide financial assistance to farmers who had previously experienced discrimination at the hands of their usda farm lending programs. This was a meaningful step in rebuilding trust.
▶ 3:53:01Ms. Rollins: However, usda still has a lot of work to do and this will only be more difficult, more difficult following the new administration's executive order aimed at rolling back all of this progress. I was proud congress passed my legislation in 2021 to require usda to create an equity commission and the commission's final report provides an excellent roadmap for continuing this work.
▶ 3:53:27Ms. Rollins: Chair boozman, without objection, I would like to enter the usda 2024 equity report into the record. Thank you so much. When we met last month, you promised to read the equity report. >> 90 pages and 66 recommendations. That has been a little over a month ago. Please don't ask me to quote page 66. Yes. >> I understand it has been removed from the website or there is not access to it.
▶ 3:53:55Ms. Rollins: Will you consider the recommendations of the equity commission's report if you are confirmed? >> senator, let me answer this way. I was appreciative of the conversation. For me, more knowledge is always best. Understanding where everyone comes from whether I had -- I agree or disagree, recognizing what is in the past is important but also realizing the path ahead. >> will you consider the recommendations? >> sarah, I will consider anything on the table. I think that is only fair.
▶ 3:54:26Ms. Rollins: President trump won on the concept of removing the diversity, equity, and inclusion, making sure we are basing our decisions on merit and I obviously support that 100% as well but I look forward, senator, to continuing to talk about this. My friend has long talked to me about the plight of what farmers in georgia and other places around the country -- I'm always open to discussions, always. May I say, there is no room for racism at the united states department of agriculture.
▶ 3:54:57Ms. Rollins: >> in that regard, will you commit to recruiting more diverse employees. -- so that we will trust between these communities? >>, my commitment is to recruit the best workforce in the history of the united states department of agriculture,. . I believe that will include many members of all different corners of our country.
▶ 3:55:24Ms. Rollins: >> do you think a diverse workforce, high-quality workforce, -- in those objectives? >> always hiring based on who is the best person for the job, who is going to do the most excellent service, who is best equipped to execute on all of the promises is the promise of america but I also believe, to your point, and have long held that ensuring that we give all people a chance to succeed and to thrive, and for equal opportunity is a bedrock
▶ 3:55:54Ms. Rollins: Foundational principle of america. >> on that, you and I agree. Thank you so much. >> thank you, senator. >> senator klobuchar. >> thank you very much. I am hoping these will be your last three questions. Your family looks like they might want a break for lunch but they have been very good back there. I just want you to know that. >> how have the teenagers been? They have not gotten any looks from me.
▶ 3:56:23Ms. Rollins: >> according to recent reports, house republicans are already eyeing nearly $300 billion in cuts to the snap program and roughly 30% -- that is just reports. I think you heard from some of my colleagues about how this is such an issue in rule america and in my state, as senator smith pointed out, our actual hunger rate is higher in rural than the metropolitan areas.
▶ 3:56:53Ms. Rollins: What kind of an impact do you think a $300 billion cut would have to snap and if confirmed, will you commit to robust funding for usda's nutrition program? >> my commitment will always be to ensuring these programs are effective and efficient and I think I spoke from the heart and I mean this sincerely, the importance of our leadership as a bipartisan body to ensure that those who are the least among us are ably supported and do not go
▶ 3:57:26Ms. Rollins: Hungry. This is the united states of america. I don't yet know what the numbers look like. My commitment to you is we will talk about this until the very last minute and I will always be open to you and look forward to you ensuring that we are able to do what the original and core tenants of that program were called to do. >> I will follow-up on this in a written question but I want to know if you believe snap benefits should be calculated based on current food costs.
▶ 3:57:50Ms. Rollins: >> well, I will say that obviously, current food costs, you know, the importance of the inputs into the program and understanding where the market is will always be a priority. >> ok. Congress made significant investments in climate smart agriculture through the inflation reduction act, giving more farmers access to popular conservation programs. So we had a situation where a bunch of the farm groups were actually supportive of this part of the ira.
▶ 3:58:22Ms. Rollins: I have always led bipartisan legislation on conservation, working with hunting and fishing groups. One of the bills I have has been with senator thune based on voluntary conservation program participation. A recent executive order issued to just of course in the last few days deposit disbursements from the inflation reduction act would put some of these plans that I mentioned, crp plans and the like, in jeopardy.
▶ 3:58:53Ms. Rollins: What is your understanding of the impact of these executive orders and will these orders just slow ira just persons, impact farmers in voluntary conservation programs? >> my commitment is to obviously understand exactly what the target and the goal of that executive order is. I have not been ready and on that yet but I will be. And then ensuring that that aligns with what is stated in that executive order.
▶ 3:59:23Ms. Rollins: Again, president trump you now administrations heart is with the rule and agriculture communities and ensuring that there is full understanding and data to support what this will do. I think the president has their taxpayer dollars should be supporting those so the robust conversation I think that we will have is to follow it and I look forward to that and you have my commitment that I am always available to discuss that and to represent ag interest
▶ 3:59:53Ms. Rollins: Where appropriate in those discussions with the white house. >> thank you. I also just wanted to thank you for your commitment to the next generation of farmers and ranchers. As you know, the average age is not quite as old as the U.S. senate but it has been creeping up and we need new people to go into agriculture and a hope just with your background and your the faa involvement and the like, I think that would be among your many priorities, it
▶ 4:00:24Ms. Rollins: Would be a smart thing to go around and talk about and I know there's plenty of people on our side of the aisle that would join you in that focus, so thank you. >> thank you. >> I want to thank her for appearing before the committee today and I would like to thank the ranking member and all the members of the committee for the great participation that we had today.
▶ 4:00:53Ms. Rollins: The ranking member and I have agreed that questions -- by 6:00 p.m. Tomorrow. This concludes today's hearing. >> thank you so much. What an honor to be here. Thank you. >> thank you.