The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer financial aid to US farmers and ranchers negatively impacted by a “devastating” trade war during the second Trump administration, says Trump’s nominee to run the department.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee Thursday, Brooke Rollins was repeatedly asked about the impact of a fresh round of tariffs, which President Trump has signaled could be imposed on Canada and Mexico as soon as February 1.
“Regarding the president’s tariff agenda, I think it probably comes as no surprise to anyone sitting in this room that he believes it is a very important tool in his tool kit to continue to bring America back to the forefront of the world and to ensure that we have a thriving economy,” said Rollins.
“But just as he did and we did in the first administration, he also understands the potential devastating impact to our farmers and our ranchers.”
Retaliatory tariffs
While the US is an agricultural powerhouse, it also exports large amounts of corn, soybeans, almonds, beef, poultry and wheat. During Trump’s first term, USDA set up a fund to compensate US soybean farmers and others who were negatively impacted by retaliatory tariffs instituted by China in response to tariffs imposed by Trump on $360 billion worth of Chinese goods.
Should she be confirmed, said Rollins, USDA would be prepared to provide similar financial aid for farmers impacted by a new trade war.
She added: “I have spoken with Secretary [Sonny] Perdue [who ran USDA in Trump’s first term] a few times on how that was managed so we are prepared to execute something similar if approved… but [we are] also working with the White House to ensure that we can close those holes for our farmers and ranchers moving forward under any sort of tariff execution in the next coming days, in the next few years. That will be a top priority of mine.”
Sen Michael Bennet (D-CO) noted: “What we have heard from our farmers and ranchers over and over again is they want to be able to do the work, they want to be able to export. They don’t want to solve this problem by getting aid to make up for what they should have been able to send to Asia and other places. The only growth my farmers and ranchers can see in the foreseeable future… is by growing our exports of agriculture.”
Sen Raphael Warnock, D-GA, added: “Farmers in Georgia… are concerned about potential retaliatory actions following President Trump’s promises to levy heavy tariffs… They are already dealing with slim margins due to higher input costs, and 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.”
Asked by Sen Adam Schiff (D-CA) if she was committed to distribute “economic assistance, including trade relief, to states without regard to their political leanings,” she said: “I am committed to that.”
Mass deportations
Rollins was later quizzed by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) on the impact of mass deportations of undocumented workers on the food and agriculture industry: “Your organization [the nonprofit America First Policy Institute, which Rollins leads] has said pretty strong things. [It] has called for deportation at a scale that actually matters, massive deportation efforts…Can we expect this administration to be raiding farms and going after the immigrant farm workers?”
Rollins responded: “The President’s vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support.”
However, she pledged to work with the Secretary of Labor to reform the H-2A visa program [which covers temporary agricultural laborers coming to the US on a seasonal basis] and “follow and listen to our farmers and ranchers as this is moving.” She added: “We will do everything we can to make sure that none of these farms or dairy producers are put out of business.”
Schiff went on: “If we deport a large percentage of our farm workforce, farm 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 egg prices and food prices and everything else?”
Rollins responded: “First of all we are speaking in hypotheticals, but these are hypotheticals we do need to be thinking through.”
Asked by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) about whether she would “commit to improving children’s nutrition by reducing the amount of ultra-processed foods in our school meal program,” Rollins said: “The answer is yes.”
