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Brooke Rollins

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Brooke Rollins
A smiling woman staring into the camera in front of flags of the United States and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Official portrait, 2025
33rd United States Secretary of Agriculture
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 13, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyStephen Vaden
Preceded byTom Vilsack
Acting Director of the Domestic Policy Council
In office
May 24, 2020 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJoe Grogan
Succeeded bySusan Rice
Director of the Office of American Innovation
In office
February 28, 2018 – May 24, 2020
Serving with Jared Kushner
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byReed Cordish
Succeeded byOffice abolished
President of the Texas Public Policy Foundation
In office
January 1, 2003 – February 28, 2018
Preceded byJeff Judson
Succeeded byKevin Roberts
Personal details
BornBrooke Christine Rollins
(1972-04-10) April 10, 1972 (age 54)
Glen Rose, Texas, U.S.
Spouse
Mark Rollins
​
(m. 1999)​
Children4
Parent
Education

Brooke Christine Leslie Rollins (née Leslie; born April 10, 1972) is an American political advisor and attorney who has served as the United States secretary of agriculture since 2025. Rollins served as the acting director of the Domestic Policy Council from 2020 to 2021 and as the director of the Office of American Innovation from 2018 to 2020.

Rollins graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in agricultural development and from the University of Texas at Austin with a Juris Doctor. She served as the deputy general counsel and the policy director of Rick Perry's reelection campaign in the 2002 Texas gubernatorial election. In 2003, Rollins became the president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In February 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Rollins as the co-director of the Office of American Innovation. In May 2020, she became the acting director of the Domestic Policy Council after Joe Grogan's resignation.

After Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election, Rollins established the America First Policy Institute alongside Larry Kudlow. She served as the institute's president and assisted in preparations for Trump's possible second presidential transition. In November 2024, Trump named Rollins as his nominee for secretary of agriculture. The Senate voted to confirm Rollins in February 2025.

Early life and education (1972–1998)

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Brooke Christine Leslie[1] was born on April 10, 1972, in Dallas, Texas.[2] Leslie was raised in Glen Rose.[3] She was the oldest of three children born to Hugh and Helen Leslie. Hugh was the front office manager of a Hilton hotel in Saint Paul, while Helen managed a farm; they later divorced. Leslie assisted her mother in running a flower shop after the divorce.[4] By 1989, Leslie had become the Area VIII president of Future Farmers of America[5] and a member of 4-H.[6] She began supporting conservatism after watching the first inauguration of Ronald Reagan.[7] Leslie graduated from Glen Rose High School in 1990[8] and attended Texas A&M University as a pre-law student.[9] By 1994, Leslie had become the student body president of the university, the first female to hold the position in its history.[10] She later served as the speaker pro tempore of the student senate and as the chair of the Texas A&M Judicial Court. Rollins was also the Cotton Bowl Classic Queen.[11] She graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural development[11] and from the University of Texas School of Law with a Juris Doctor.[1]

Career

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Early career (1999–2003)

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By April 1999, Leslie had become an attorney for Hughes and Luce.[1] In June, she married Mark Rollins;[12] they have four children.[13] In the 2002 Texas gubernatorial election, she served as Governor Rick Perry's deputy general counsel for his campaign. In February 2002, the campaign named her as his policy director.[14]

Texas Public Policy Foundation (2003–2018)

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In December 2002,[15] after receiving a recommendation from Perry,[16] the Texas Public Policy Foundation named Rollins as its president.[15] She began serving in the position the following month.[15] In 2007, Rollins became the first female speaker at the College Station Aggie Muster, which honors deceased Texas A&M former students.[11]

As the Texas Public Policy Foundation's president, Rollins led the politically declining institution to relevance; The Texas Observer wrote that the foundation had become a "bedrock institution of the Texas right" by 2011. Her policy work included criminal justice reform.[16] Rollins increased the number of staffers from three to one hundred.[17] In 2011, Texas Monthly named her as one of the twenty-five most powerful Texans.[18] Rollins left the Texas Public Policy Foundation in 2018.[19]

Trump administration work (2016–2021)

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In August 2016, Donald Trump named Rollins to his economic advisory council.[20] In February 2018, the real estate developer Reed Cordish resigned from his position as the director of the Office of American Innovation. The Trump administration appointed Rollins to succeed Cordish that month.[21] At the office, she worked with Jared Kushner on prison reform legislation. In an effort to assert his authority, Kushner proposed appointing Rollins as the director of the Domestic Policy Council, a move that would have her control most domestic issues for the Trump administration with the exception of immigration.[22] Mick Mulvaney's appointment as the acting White House chief of staff secured the position[23] for the political advisor Joe Grogan, a Mulvaney appointee.[24] As a federal government shutdown continued into January 2019, Kushner and Rollins began working on a long-term immigration proposal that would end the shutdown.[25]

Rollins, alongside Ja'Ron Smith, coordinated with the Department of Housing and Urban Development on responding to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on minorities.[26] Rollins had a key role in Trump's criminal justice reform agenda, including in developing the First Step Act.[27] In May 2020, The New York Times reported that Trump was set to name Rollins as the acting director of the Domestic Policy Council following the resignation of Joe Grogan.[28] Although Trump advisors had largely agreed to appoint Derek Lyons to the position, Rollins was viewed as a candidate who could appear on television.[29] As protests against police brutality emerged across the United States that month, Rollins stated that the Trump administration would seek to fix divisions within the country.[30] She was involved in policy planning for Trump's presumptive second term[31] and had begun to organize transition planning alongside Chris Liddell, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy coordination, by September.[32] Rollins was a member of Trump's 1776 Commission and helped produce its report.[33]

America First Policy Institute (2021–2024)

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In December 2020, following Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election, Politico reported that Rollins and Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, were working on an organization to promote Trump's policies.[34] By March 2021, the organization, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), had hired approximately thirty staffers.[35] The institute was formally established the following month.[16] Rollins served as the president and chief executive of AFPI until March 2025.[36] She was closely involved in efforts to prepare for Trump's possible second presidential transition;[37] in October 2024, Politico Magazine wrote that Rollins had taken the "reins of the transition" through her work with the AFPI.[16]

United States Secretary of Agriculture (2025–present)

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Nomination and confirmation

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According to Bloomberg News, Rollins had been considered as a possible candidate for White House chief of staff as early as July 2022, in the event that Donald Trump ran for president.[38] In October 2024, The New York Times reported that Trump had considered Rollins as his White House chief of staff.[27] After his victory in the 2024 presidential election, Trump named campaign manager Susie Wiles as his chief of staff.[39]

On November 23, 2024, Trump named Rollins as his nominee to serve as the secretary of agriculture,[40] completing his cabinet.[41] According to Politico, the decision was unexpected among Trump's advisors and occurred after CNN had reported that Trump was set to name former Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler to the position.[42] Some agriculture industry officials viewed Rollins positively as a possible counter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for secretary of health and human services, who held views critical of pesticides and industrial livestock production systems.[43] According to The Wall Street Journal, Kennedy's staffers had neither Loeffler nor Rollins on their list of possible nominees for secretary of agriculture.[44] Politico perceived the nomination as a maneuver that tempered Kennedy's policy reach.[45]

Rollins met with senators in December 2024.[46] She was among several nominees whose nominations were delayed after the Trump administration did not initially provide Senate committees with Federal Bureau of Investigation background checks and ethics paperwork.[47] Rollins appeared before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on January 23, 2025. Amid uncertainty over Trump's tariff and immigration policy, Rollins stated that she would provide relief to farmers, particularly those in rural communities.[48] She supported Trump's mass deportation efforts.[49] Rollins vowed to support corn ethanol.[19] The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry unanimously voted to advance Rollins's nomination on February 3.[50] The Senate voted to confirm Rollins in a 72–28 vote on February 13.[51]

Tenure

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BERJAYA
Rollins is sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas in February 2025

Rollins was sworn in hours after she was confirmed by the Senate.[52] Her tenure occurred amid an H5N1 outbreak; Rollins stated that she convened a meeting on the disease on her first day as the secretary of agriculture.[53] Rollins's initial moves included championing the Department of Government Efficiency, rescinding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and instituting mass layoffs across the Department of Agriculture.[54] She released funding for several agricultural grants as the Office of Management and Budget froze numerous federal grants.[55] Rollins served on the MAHA Commission.[56] In April, Rollins sent a letter to Maine governor Janet Mills stating that funding from the Department of Agriculture for education programs would be frozen.[57] That month, she removed environmental protections for nearly sixty percent of national forests.[58]

In June 2025, The New York Times reported that Rollins had told Trump some farmers were concerned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids were harming their businesses. Trump later posted on Truth Social that he was ordering the agency to pause raids and arrests at farms, hotels, and restaurants.[59] That month, she rescinded a rule preventing road construction and timber harvesting in some areas on federal forestland.[60] In a memorandum in July, Rollins moved to relocate most of the Department of Agriculture's remaining works to the agency's five regional offices.[61] As the Trump administration conflicted with Minnesota officials, Rollins requested that the state recertify many Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients in a letter in December. Minnesota sued Rollins over the letter.[62] The following month, she froze food stamp funding to Minnesota.[63]

In January 2026, Rollins ended several regulations on oil and gas drilling on Forest Service land. In April, she issued an order removing environmental protections on some land.[64]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Rollins - Leslie". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 4, 1999. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Brooke Christine Leslie in the Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997" (Document). Birth Index.
  3. ↑ Despart, Zach (November 23, 2024). "Trump picks Texan Brooke Rollins to lead Agriculture Department". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  4. ↑ Gainey, Blaise (March 14, 2025). "Meet Rep. Helen Kerwin, a grandmother of nine and freshman North Texas lawmaker for HD 58". KUT. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  5. ↑ "RegionBriefly". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 29, 1989. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ "RegionBriefly". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 10, 1989. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  7. ↑ Qiu, Linda (November 24, 2024). "What to Know About Brooke Rollins, Trump's Choice for Agriculture Secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  8. ↑ "RegionBriefly". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 14, 1990. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  9. ↑ Camuto, Robert (December 31, 1992). "Cotton Bowl telecasters rain on Dallas's parade". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Aggies take up arms against sea of troubles". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. July 11, 1994. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 Lim, Cherie; Lankes, Chelsea (April 20, 2007). "Aggies to gather for Muster, first woman SBP to speak". The Battalion. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Rollins-Leslie". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 13, 1999. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  13. ↑ Zimmerman, Sarah (November 25, 2024). "Who is Brooke Rollins? What to know about Trump's pick to lead USDA". Agriculture Dive. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Perry's new policy chief". Austin American-Statesman. February 11, 2002. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 "Foundation names new president". San Antonio Express-News. December 17, 2002. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Ward, Ian (October 25, 2024). "Trump Loves Her. His Allies Don't Trust Her". Politico Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  17. ↑ Drusch, Andrea (February 16, 2018). "Fort Worth's Rollins joins Kushner-run White House post". Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ Smith, Evan (January 18, 2011). "Texas Monthly's 25 Most Powerful Texans". Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Peng, Ilena; Chipman, Kim (January 23, 2025). "Trump's Agriculture Pick Says She'll Honor All Fuel Sources". Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  20. ↑ McCaskill, Nolan (August 11, 2016). "Trump brings women on to his economic council". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  21. ↑ O'Connell, Jonathan (February 16, 2018). "Trump tech adviser Reed Cordish is leaving the White House". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  22. ↑ Cook, Nancy; Lippman, Daniel (November 27, 2018). "Kushner makes White House policy power play". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  23. ↑ Cook, Nancy (January 25, 2019). "Mulvaney starts to draw ire as shutdown drags on". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  24. ↑ Cook, Nancy; Cancryn, Adam (January 11, 2019). "'Acting' in name only: Mulvaney staffs up West Wing". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  25. ↑ Everett, Burgess; Oprysko, Caitlin; Johnson, Eliana (January 31, 2019). "Trump demands 'WALL!' but steers clear of Hill talks". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  26. ↑ Orr, Gabby (May 15, 2020). "Trump team searches for a strategy to aid voters of color ahead of November". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  27. 1 2 Swan, Jonathan; Haberman, Maggie (October 11, 2024). "Trump Is Said to Consider Brooke Rollins for White House Chief of Staff". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  28. ↑ Haberman, Maggie (May 14, 2020). "Trump to Name Brooke Rollins as Domestic Policy Adviser". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  29. ↑ Kumar, Anita; Lippman, Daniel (May 17, 2020). "How chatter and conservative anger upended a White House staffing search". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  30. ↑ Forgey, Quint (June 1, 2020). "Trump's domestic policy chief says W.H. 'working through' proposals to unify country". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  31. ↑ Restuccia, Andrew (June 26, 2020). "Trump Holds Back on Outlining Second-Term Agenda". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  32. ↑ Restuccia, Andrew; Collins, Eliza (September 1, 2020). "Biden, Trump Teams Plan for Midcrisis Transition". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  33. ↑ Crowley, Michael (January 18, 2021). "Trump's '1776 report' defends America's founding on the basis of slavery and blasts progressivism". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  34. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (December 22, 2020). "Senior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group". Politico. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  35. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (March 3, 2021). "Trump aides build out the MAGA-verse with new groups". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  36. ↑ Woodruff Swan, Betsy (September 15, 2022). "Trump's Save America paid $3 million to cover top lawyer's legal work". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  37. ↑ Schaffer, Michael (September 13, 2024). "After Project 2025, Knives Are Out for Heritage — On the Right". Politico Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  38. ↑ Parker, Mario; Jacobs, Jennifer (July 15, 2022). "Trump Allies Line Up Shadow Government, Mindful of 2016's Chaos". Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  39. ↑ Fuchs, Hailey; McGraw, Meridith; Allison, Natalie (November 7, 2024). "Donald Trump picks Susie Wiles to be chief of staff". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  40. ↑ Restuccia, Andrew; Leary, Alex (November 23, 2024). "Trump Chooses Brooke Rollins to Lead Agriculture Department". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  41. ↑ Sentner, Irie (November 23, 2024). "After a Friday night flurry, Trump's Cabinet is complete". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  42. ↑ Lee Hill, Meredith; McGraw, Meridith (November 23, 2024). "Trump taps loyalist Rollins for USDA chief in surprise pick". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  43. ↑ Thomas, Patrick (November 25, 2024). "Agriculture Industry Hopeful That USDA Pick Can Counter RFK Jr". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  44. ↑ Andrews, Natalie; Peterson, Kristina; Whyte, Liz (December 10, 2024). "The X-Factor for Kennedy's Food Agenda: Trump's Agriculture Secretary". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  45. ↑ Lee Hill, Meredith; Cancryn, Adam (November 29, 2024). "With Ag secretary pick, Trump brushes back RFK Jr". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  46. ↑ Yarrow, Grace (December 23, 2024). "What's next for ag policy". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  47. ↑ Lee Hill, Meredith (January 9, 2025). "Background check delays Rollins confirmation hearing". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  48. ↑ Qiu, Linda (January 23, 2025). "Trump's Agriculture Pick Addresses Tariff and Immigration Impact on Farmers". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  49. ↑ Bridges, Olivia (January 23, 2025). "USDA pick Rollins to 'follow and listen' to farmers on deportations". Roll Call. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  50. ↑ Yarrow, Grace (July 3, 2026). "Trump's USDA pick sails through committee". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  51. ↑ Qiu, Linda (February 13, 2025). "Senate Confirms Brooke Rollins as Agriculture Secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  52. ↑ Woodhouse, Skylar (February 14, 2025). "Agriculture Secretary Says Pending Farmer Payments Will Be Met". Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  53. ↑ Brown, Marcia (February 16, 2025). "Trump administration firings hit key office handling bird flu response". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  54. ↑ Yarrow, Grace (February 18, 2025). "Rollins' first moves". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  55. ↑ Fertig, Natalie (February 22, 2025). "USDA to restart wildfire grants, Oregon governor says". Politico. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  56. ↑ Blum, Dani; Mueller, Benjamin; Astor, Maggie (September 9, 2025). "Kennedy Releases Childhood Health Report. It's Vague on Next Steps". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  57. ↑ Russell, Jenna (April 2, 2025). "U.S.D.A. Freezes Funding for Maine Amid Battle Over Transgender Athletes". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  58. ↑ Tabuchi, Hiroko (June 3, 2025). "He Built an Airstrip on Protected Land. Now He's in Line to Lead the Forest Service". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  59. ↑ Aleaziz, Hamed; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (June 13, 2025). "Trump Shifts Deportation Focus, Pausing Most Raids on Farms, Hotels and Eateries". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  60. ↑ Chen, David (August 6, 2025). "In One of the Country's Poorest States, Crippling Budget Cuts Loom". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  61. ↑ Qiu, Linda (July 24, 2025). "Agriculture Department to Move Most Remaining Washington Workers Out of City". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  62. ↑ Sella, Adam (January 16, 2026). "Court Blocks Trump Administration From Freezing Food Stamps in Minnesota". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  63. ↑ Cameron, Chris (January 9, 2026). "Trump Administration Freezes Food Stamps in Minnesota". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  64. ↑ Niiler, Eric (April 30, 2026). "As Wildfire Risks Rise, Forest Service Shutters Labs That Study Them". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
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