Brooke Rollins

But it's also the food stamp program, which is a massive bureaucratic nightmare of a beast where we're not even really getting food. the food to the people who really need it most. And when we are, it includes Cokes and candy and all kinds of bad stuff. So there's massive amount of work that we need to do there. It also includes the Forest Service. So we've got the largest firefighting unit

Anywhere in the country of any size of government is the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. We've got almost 30,000 firefighters in our community. So yesterday I was in North Carolina.

Anywhere in the country of any size of government is the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. We've got almost 30,000 firefighters in our community. So yesterday I was in North Carolina.

They've got some fires that have popped up that are a little bit scary, looking at the damage of Hurricane Helene, but also understanding what we need to do and the resources that are necessary to ensure we don't have another fire like what happened in California, that all the different components are are working well together. You name it.

They've got some fires that have popped up that are a little bit scary, looking at the damage of Hurricane Helene, but also understanding what we need to do and the resources that are necessary to ensure we don't have another fire like what happened in California, that all the different components are are working well together. You name it.

I think USDA was the first agency, the first cabinet position created after the founding of the country. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson created defense and state and attorney general, etc. They waited almost 100 years, and then Abraham Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture. And then it was a little while longer before the other ones came along.

I think USDA was the first agency, the first cabinet position created after the founding of the country. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson created defense and state and attorney general, etc. They waited almost 100 years, and then Abraham Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture. And then it was a little while longer before the other ones came along.

And so I think it became a little bit of the dumping ground for all the things that didn't have a place in a federal agency. But that's part of the great role. And I welcome it and I thrive with it. How do we realign the United States Department of Agriculture?

And so I think it became a little bit of the dumping ground for all the things that didn't have a place in a federal agency. But that's part of the great role. And I welcome it and I thrive with it. How do we realign the United States Department of Agriculture?

How do we set a model for not just the federal government, but around the country on how you realign, how you reduce in force, how you become more effective and more efficient with much less money? And that's what we in our very small team right now, we're still trying to get people in the door today. But that's what we're doing every day.

How do we set a model for not just the federal government, but around the country on how you realign, how you reduce in force, how you become more effective and more efficient with much less money? And that's what we in our very small team right now, we're still trying to get people in the door today. But that's what we're doing every day.

Well, there's no doubt. I've been now to six or seven different states. I've only been in for about two and a half weeks, I guess three weeks, and been to, gosh, a bunch of states, talked to a bunch of farmers, almost 200, I think, from around the country, had a lot of them come to Washington. It's really important to me that I get outside the noise of Washington and outside the kind

Well, there's no doubt. I've been now to six or seven different states. I've only been in for about two and a half weeks, I guess three weeks, and been to, gosh, a bunch of states, talked to a bunch of farmers, almost 200, I think, from around the country, had a lot of them come to Washington. It's really important to me that I get outside the noise of Washington and outside the kind

the associations, et cetera, not that they don't play a very good role, but I want to talk to the farmers directly. And in so doing, the number one issue for them is the uncertainty that tariffs and the potential trade renegotiations, what that means for our ag community. And listen, Charlie, in 100 years, I'm not sure that the ag community, that our farmers and ranchers have been

the associations, et cetera, not that they don't play a very good role, but I want to talk to the farmers directly. And in so doing, the number one issue for them is the uncertainty that tariffs and the potential trade renegotiations, what that means for our ag community. And listen, Charlie, in 100 years, I'm not sure that the ag community, that our farmers and ranchers have been

operating at more of a razor-thin margin than they are today. I mean, it is not a good place to be. Our exports, we have a trade deficit of $49 billion in ag, thanks to Joe Biden. It was zero when we left President Trump's first term. That is real money taken out of the pockets of our farmers. But the number one thing they're concerned about is trade.

operating at more of a razor-thin margin than they are today. I mean, it is not a good place to be. Our exports, we have a trade deficit of $49 billion in ag, thanks to Joe Biden. It was zero when we left President Trump's first term. That is real money taken out of the pockets of our farmers. But the number one thing they're concerned about is trade.

And so yesterday, the president, who I have been talking to, and he These are his people, right? We are his people. And he knows that the rural communities and the ag communities have been with him since the moment he came down that escalator. It took other people a lot longer to get on board.

And so yesterday, the president, who I have been talking to, and he These are his people, right? We are his people. And he knows that the rural communities and the ag communities have been with him since the moment he came down that escalator. It took other people a lot longer to get on board.

In early 21, when others were running for the hills and not supporting President Trump, this community was, and he knows that. So he mentioned the State of the Union a few times on Tuesday night. Farmers, I'm with you. I love you. Yesterday, I talked to him multiples of times as they were finalizing at least a 30-day deal to exempt farmers