In recent days, Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, has made significant headlines with a series of major decisions and public statements that signal a sharp shift in policy direction at the Department of Agriculture. Following President Trump’s submission of the 2026 budget proposal, Secretary Rollins publicly praised the administration’s approach to fiscal responsibility, emphasizing a push for deficit reduction and national debt control. She stated that the USDA is already leading these efforts by eliminating wasteful spending, streamlining services to focus on farmers’ needs, and reducing regulatory burdens.
Rollins has underscored these themes throughout her first 100 days in office. She highlights the reversal of what she calls the "woke" Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion agenda of the previous administration. On her first day, Rollins issued a memorandum rescinding all DEI programs and related celebrations within the USDA. The department has shifted its focus to what she describes as unity, equality, meritocracy, and color-blind policies. Under her leadership, the USDA initiated a comprehensive review of contracts, personnel, and training, specifically targeting those linked to DEI and far-left climate initiatives. As a result, the department has terminated more than 3,600 contracts and grants, amounting to over $5.5 billion in savings. Almost 1,000 employee trainings were canceled, the majority related to DEI, environmental justice, and gender ideology.
In terms of international engagement, Secretary Rollins has announced a series of upcoming visits to key U.S. trading partners. She will travel to India, Japan, Vietnam, England, and Italy as part of ongoing negotiations aimed at increasing American agricultural exports and rectifying trade imbalances. Rollins has stated her intent to press these countries, especially Japan, to open their markets to more U.S. farm products—a move in line with President Trump’s broader tariff policy and trade strategy. Intensive ministerial negotiations with Japanese officials are planned for mid-May, with hopes of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement by June.
Domestically, Secretary Rollins has been visible in response to challenges facing American farmers, including a recent visit to Ohio to meet with poultry producers affected by the ongoing bird flu outbreak. These visits are part of her broader “Farmers First” agenda, designed to ensure federal programs prioritize the operational and financial well-being of American farms and ranches above bureaucratic or ideological initiatives.
Secretary Rollins is also overseeing ongoing reforms to bring greater efficiency to the USDA. She has pledged further transparency and access to internal watchdogs, with hundreds of contracts already terminated and more than a thousand under active review for wastefulness. These actions, according to Rollins, are just the first steps in a series of reforms aimed at optimizing the USDA’s workforce and focusing resources directly on the needs and priorities of rural America and the agricultural sector.
Through all these moves, Secretary Rollins is positioning the USDA as a leaner, more market-oriented department, centered on fiscal discipline, deregulation, and expanding global market access for American agriculture.
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2025/05/113 分