Brooke
Rollins

Claims to fame: Head of the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation (2003-2018) before joining Trump’s first administration as Director of the Office of American Innovation (2018-2021) and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council (2020-2021), and co-founder and CEO of conservative think tank America First Policy Institute (2021-present).

You should know: Brooke Rollins is a climate denier who has long been a supporter of Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies, including supporting his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement during his first term.

Her take on climate: “Climate change hysteria is political cover to export American jobs and manufacturing to places like Mexico and China.” (X/Twitter)

The fine print: Brooke Rollins has been a leader in the far-right conservative movement for years. She is a Trump loyalist who played several roles in his first administration, including serving as director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council. After the 2020 election, she co-founded a conservation think tank, the America First Policy Institute, to promote Trump’s policy agenda. The organization has also played a major role in the Trump transition.

Rollins has denied the validity of the science behind climate change and has little to no agricultural policy track record.

Our take: “Trump’s decision to nominate Brooke Rollins to head USDA shows that he is determined to fill his cabinet with loyalists who will do whatever he says. Rollins has a long history of attacking the science of climate change and climate policy before, during and after her tenure in the first Trump administration. We need a Secretary of Agriculture who will look out for the needs of our farmers and families by supporting robust conservation programs that ensure farmers are part of the climate solution and become more resilient to the impacts of climate change.” – LCV Healthy Communities Program Director Madeleine Foote, Nov. 25