Trump pick to lead USDA considering payments to farmers from trade losses
2025.01.23 12:24
By Leah Douglas
(Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday said she would consider direct payments to farmers to offset losses from proposed tariffs, modeled after the approach taken in Trump’s first term.
If confirmed, Brooke Rollins (NYSE:) would lead the $200 billion agency and its nearly 100,000 employees whose broad remit includes nutrition and commodity programs, farm loans, forestry, and trade.
Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports in his first term resulted in retaliatory tariffs on soybeans. The administration then paid billions to farmers to offset losses.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on China as well as Mexico and Canada.
Rollins said at her Thursday nomination hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee that she has spoken with Sonny Perdue, Trump’s farm secretary in his first term, about how the agency managed the trade war.
“We are prepared to execute something similar, if approved, if confirmed,” she said, later adding, “we can’t reinvent the wheel.”
Some senators on the committee challenged the approach.
“What we’ve 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,” said Michael Bennet, a Democratic senator from Colorado.
