Brooke L. Rollins appears on course for confirmation as Agriculture secretary despite being pressed Thursday by Democrats about farm labor shortages that could result from President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Rollins told the Senate Agriculture Committee that her first 100 days “will be a fast and furious effort” to deploy the $10 billion in economic aid to farmers appropriated in the continuing resolution that funded the government until March 14.
She also indicated she would use her Section 5 authority over the Commodity Credit Corporation to compensate farmers for lost exports in the event that trading partners raise tariffs. The House had included a suspension of that authority in its farm bill last year, but the measure wasn’t enacted.
