Vilsack Says Rollins Has Key Asset — Trump’s Ear

Brooke Rollins is sure to be confirmed by the Senate as agriculture secretary in the new Trump administration, and she will start with a valuable asset — an ongoing relationship with the president, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“She has, I think, a very important asset … she has a relationship with the president. Boy, that’s really, really important in the ag job,” said Vilsack, who served under two presidents in his 12 years as secretary. Rollins was head of the White House domestic policy council during President-elect Trump’s first term, and more recently led a pro-Trump think tank.

It is common, although not required, for incoming and outgoing cabinet members to meet. Vilsack said the USDA had its first contact with a member of Trump’s landing team for agriculture last week.

When reporters mentioned Robert Kennedy’s prominence among Trump’s cabinet choices, Vilsack replied, “That’s why the relationship with the president is going to be very important.” Kennedy would be secretary of Health and Human Services, but some of his proposals on food policy, such as removing ultra-processed foods from school lunches, intrude on USDA jurisdiction.

During a speech at a grocery summit on Friday, Vilsack said he believed food system reforms started by the Biden administration would thrive in coming years. Some $6 billion was invested in various initiatives for sustainable agriculture, an expansion of independent food processing capacity, and a larger volume of sales through local and regional markets. The efforts include the $3.1 Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities project to encourage adoption of sustainable farming practices and to develop markets that pay a bonus for the products.

“This partnership initiative has become incredibly popular and its going to grow over the course of the next several years, and it is part and parcel of a transformed food system,” said Vilsack.