U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks at the Future Farmers of America event on August 18, 2025, at the Tennessee State Fair. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
Democrats on the House spending panel sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to agriculture and food programs on Thursday, after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pledged to work with members of both parties to address their concerns.
The president’s budget request would mean deep cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, gutting programs to aid feed hungry people and support farmers in need — even as rising costs for groceries, gas and other necessities have made these programs even more vital, Democrats on the House Agriculture Subcommittee told Rollins.
“Our voters will have a hard time believing that USDA serves America’s farmers and rural communities when USDA takes services away from them,” said the panel’s ranking Democrat, Bishop Sanford of Georgia.
USDA’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget would cut $4.9 billion, or nearly a fifth of the department’s budget. Already last year because of the Republican spending and tax cuts bill 2.5 million people lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the department’s main food assistance initiative.
Trump overall in his budget request demands a massive enhance in defense spending accompanied by cuts in national programs.
Availability, promised cooperation
Rollins defended the budget proposal but said she hoped there would be a spirit of cooperation with the panel that writes her department’s annual spending bill, letting Democrats and Republicans know she is eager to address their priorities. She offered to take direct phone calls from several members.
Asked by Michigan Republican John Moolenaar about foreign growers undercutting U.S. sugar producers, she said she was willing to address the issue in upcoming trade negotiations.
“There’s a lot going on around the world, but anything you hear, Congressman, that you think will be helpful to me, in any way that I can support myself… I would love to be more involved in that,” she said. “We are making progress, but this must remain a priority.”
Rollins also touted some of her department’s victories over the past year, noting that bird flu cases dropped by 61% and egg prices also dropped.
The administration also increased exports of key crops, and the Republicans’ massive spending and tax cuts bill increased the federal estate tax exemption, which allows more family farms to be inherited at lower taxes, she added.
She also called the Make America Healthy Again initiative, led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with USDA also playing a major role, “one of our most important legacies.”
She agreed to comply with Maine Democrat Chellie Pingree’s request for a “comprehensive review” of the Make America Healthy Again philosophy.
Rollins promises there will be no closure of Farm Service agencies
Democrats on the panel, including top member Bishop and Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, opposed numerous cuts included in the budget request.
The budget would eliminate more than 70 USDA programs and is particularly ill-timed as prices continue to rise, DeLauro said.
“The prices of everyday goods continue to rise: grocery prices are rising, gasoline prices are rising, utility costs, housing costs and health care costs are skyrocketing,” she said. “The administration’s only plan is to decimate public programs that help ease the burden on working families and farmers across the country.”
Bishop complained that aid from the Farm Service Agency, which provides loans, disaster relief and other financial programs, would be less available to farmers.
Rollins tried to justify the proposed reduction, noting that the cuts Bishop mentioned represented only about 4% of the department’s total budget.
But she also said she would never close the Farm Service Agency office and offered to work directly with the Democrat and others to address staffing shortages.
“But because we want to make sure we honor the taxpayer by making sure we do the best we can with every tax dollar while also putting farmers first, (we take) key advice from you,” she said.
She added that members should contact the department “if you hear about an FSA office that is not fully staffed or that farmers are not getting what they need – and I realize they are there, I’m not living in some Pollyanna world, these are very difficult times.”
She ended her conversation with Bishop by telling him to “sir, call me anytime.”
The power of a handbag
DeLauro and Bishop pushed for Congress to have the power to control spending handled by appropriations committees in both chambers.
Bishop said he expects the USDA “will not circumvent the appropriations process by refusing to spend or obligating funding for a program once it has been signed.”
DeLauro questioned Rollins about a grant program created under the December 2024 bill to aid farmers affected by extreme weather events over the past two years. “Not a penny” of the $220 million allocated under the law was allocated to eligible states, DeLauro said.
Rollins again appeared conciliatory, stating that the issue was a priority for the department and that funding for DeLauro’s home state was “very close.”
“Yes, ma’am, we’re working on it,” she said.
