WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry delivered opening remarks at the hearing on the nomination of Brooke Rollins to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
The following is Boozman’s opening statement, as prepared for delivery:
Good morning. I am delighted to call today’s hearing to order.
First, I would like to congratulate two members of this committee who were instrumental in organizing the inaugural ceremonies that took place at the Capitol earlier this week: Senator Klobuchar and Senator Fischer, respectively the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee in the last Congress.
For more than a year, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, led by Senator Klobuchar, put tremendous effort into planning and organizing a traditional ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol. As we all know, those plans had to be set aside at the very last minute because of the bitter cold for the more intimate gathering inside the Rotunda that we witnessed Monday. Thanks to her efforts, and without missing a beat, our nation’s tradition of peacefully transferring power continued and the president was sworn in on the 20th of January, as required by the Constitution. Many thanks to Senator Klobuchar, Senator Fischer, and their staff for successfully organizing and hosting one of our nation’s most important civic traditions.
I would also like to congratulate Senator Klobuchar on becoming the ranking member of our committee. I have worked closely with her over the years and look forward to continuing our partnership. I visited Minnesota with Senator Klobuchar in the spring of 2023 and met with farmers from the Gopher State in similarly cold weather that we are experiencing today. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to hear from those farm families. I look forward to hosting her in Arkansas.
I would like to welcome the committee’s members. For those returning, thank you for continuing your service. For our four new members: Senators Slotkin, Schiff, Moran and Justice, thank you for choosing to serve on this committee. I look forward to working with you and learning more about what is important to you and your states.
Our committee, established in 1825, is one of the oldest in the Senate. Our hearing room, which we will use in the future, is unique as we don’t have a dais, but a table. We sit across from each other, not away from each other. Symbolic and practical, I look forward to convening many meetings in Russell 328 in the coming years for us to work together and address the concerns of our farmers, ranchers, rural communities and those needing assistance.
As the Chairman, my door is open to every member of this committee. The fundamental purpose of our committee is to solve problems and help our citizens. I welcome you to share your ideas, concerns and solutions. Agriculture is not partisan: we all care about our nation’s farmers and ranchers; the state of rural America concerns us all; and we all believe that no American should be hungry. I intend for this committee to be highly productive in the 119th Congress. Working together, this year we will pass a Farm Bill that meets the needs of our farmers for today and the future.
This morning, we meet to consider the nomination of Brooke Leslie Rollins of Texas to be the Secretary of Agriculture. Ms. Rollins, congratulations on your nomination. You have been nominated at a very challenging time for America’s farmers. The costs for fuel, seed and fertilizer remain high, interest rates continue to be high, and farm gate prices are low. Farmers everywhere are losing money on every acre they cultivate, while farmers in certain parts of the country are losing hundreds of dollars per acre. Thankfully, Congress responded at the end of last year and provided a bridge to help ensure producers could plant again this year. Delivering this economic assistance to our farmers will be one of the first major tasks you will be faced with as secretary. But as I mentioned this was only a bridge. It was necessary because the safety net our producers have counted on in the past no longer works. I look forward to working with my colleagues in this room, across the Senate, and with you to help create a farm bill that meets the realities of modern day agriculture.
Beyond the economic strains our farmers and ranchers feel, I believe our producers want an improved relationship with USDA. They want to know USDA has their back and is helping them with the tools and support needed to successfully and profitably farm and ranch rather than coercing them into production practices that don’t work for their operations. They want new markets and new opportunities to sell what they produce. They want conservation programs to help with the issues they are facing on their farms. They want rural communities to have the infrastructure and resources for a high quality of life. USDA, with the right leadership can do all those things. Beyond agricultural production, USDA is a land manager, research institution, food safety regulator, protector of animal health, and rural lender. There is very little USDA doesn’t touch or have an impact on. All of these resources and abilities can be used to improve the quality of life not only in rural America, but all of America.
As I have met and talked with Ms. Rollins, it is clear the needs of America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities will be her focus. It is also clear that she has the relationships across this new administration, and an understanding of the processes in which decisions are made in the executive branch, to best position our producers for success. I look forward to seeing her bring her considerable skills and abilities to bear at USDA for the benefit of our farmers, ranchers and rural communities.