Confirmation process for Brooke Rollins for secretary of agriculture

President-elect Donald Trump (R) announced lawyer and former head of Trump's Domestic Policy Council in his first presidential term Brooke Rollins as his nominee for secretary of agriculture on November 23, 2024. This presidential appointment requires Senate confirmation.

The Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a confirmation hearing for Rollins on January 23, 2025. The Senate voted 72-28 to confirm Rollins on February 13, 2025. Click here to read more about the confirmation process.

Trump said of Rollins' nomination, "Brooke's commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none."

This page includes the following information about the confirmation process:

• Confirmation vote roll call
• Senate confirmation hearing
• Financial disclosures
• About the nominee
• About the confirmation process
• Other Trump Cabinet nominees
• Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations

Confirmation process

See also: Confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, 2025

Confirmation vote roll call

See also: How senators voted on Trump Cabinet nominees, 2025

The Senate voted 72-28 to confirm Rollins on February 13, 2025.

Summary of Senate vote on Brooke Rollins' nomination for secretary of agriculture (February 13, 2025)
Party	Votes for	Votes against	Not voting
Democrats	19	26	0
Republicans	53	0	0
Independents	0	2	0
Totals	72	28	0

The following Democrats voted in favor of her nomination:

• Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
• Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.)
• Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
• Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)
• Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
• Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)
• Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)
• Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.)
• Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)
• Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.)
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
• Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.)
• Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)
• Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)
• Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)
• Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.)
• Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.)
• Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.)

Senate vote on Brooke Rollins' nomination for secretary of agriculture (February 13, 2025)
Angela Alsobrooks	Democratic	Maryland	Nay
Tammy Baldwin	Democratic	Wisconsin	Yea
Jim Banks	Republican	Indiana	Yea
John Barrasso	Republican	Wyoming	Yea
Michael F. Bennet	Democratic	Colorado	Yea
Marsha Blackburn	Republican	Tennessee	Yea
Richard Blumenthal	Democratic	Connecticut	Nay
Lisa Blunt Rochester	Democratic	Delaware	Nay
Cory Booker	Democratic	New Jersey	Yea
John Boozman	Republican	Arkansas	Yea
Katie Britt	Republican	Alabama	Yea
Ted Budd	Republican	North Carolina	Yea
Maria Cantwell	Democratic	Washington	Nay
Shelley Moore Capito	Republican	West Virginia	Yea
Bill Cassidy	Republican	Louisiana	Yea
Susan Collins	Republican	Maine	Yea
Chris Coons	Democratic	Delaware	Nay
John Cornyn	Republican	Texas	Yea
Catherine Cortez Masto	Democratic	Nevada	Yea
Tom Cotton	Republican	Arkansas	Yea
Kevin Cramer	Republican	North Dakota	Yea
Mike Crapo	Republican	Idaho	Yea
Ted Cruz	Republican	Texas	Yea
John Curtis	Republican	Utah	Yea
Steve Daines	Republican	Montana	Yea
Tammy Duckworth	Democratic	Illinois	Nay
Dick Durbin	Democratic	Illinois	Yea
Joni Ernst	Republican	Iowa	Yea
John Fetterman	Democratic	Pennsylvania	Yea
Deb Fischer	Republican	Nebraska	Yea
Ruben Gallego	Democratic	Arizona	Yea
Kirsten Gillibrand	Democratic	New York	Nay
Lindsey Graham	Republican	South Carolina	Yea
Chuck Grassley	Republican	Iowa	Yea
Bill Hagerty	Republican	Tennessee	Yea
Maggie Hassan	Democratic	New Hampshire	Yea
Josh Hawley	Republican	Missouri	Yea
Martin Heinrich	Democratic	New Mexico	Yea
John Hickenlooper	Democratic	Colorado	Yea
Mazie Hirono	Democratic	Hawaii	Nay
John Hoeven	Republican	North Dakota	Yea
Jon Husted	Republican	Ohio	Yea
Cindy Hyde-Smith	Republican	Mississippi	Yea
Ron Johnson	Republican	Wisconsin	Yea
Jim Justice	Republican	West Virginia	Yea
Tim Kaine	Democratic	Virginia	Nay
Mark Kelly	Democratic	Arizona	Nay
John Kennedy	Republican	Louisiana	Yea
Andy Kim	Democratic	New Jersey	Nay
Angus King	Independent	Maine	Nay
Amy Klobuchar	Democratic	Minnesota	Yea
James Lankford	Republican	Oklahoma	Yea
Mike Lee	Republican	Utah	Yea
Ben Ray Luján	Democratic	New Mexico	Nay
Cynthia Lummis	Republican	Wyoming	Yea
Ed Markey	Democratic	Massachusetts	Nay
Roger Marshall	Republican	Kansas	Yea
Mitch McConnell	Republican	Kentucky	Yea
David McCormick	Republican	Pennsylvania	Yea
Jeff Merkley	Democratic	Oregon	Nay
Ashley B. Moody	Republican	Florida	Yea
Jerry Moran	Republican	Kansas	Yea
Bernie Moreno	Republican	Ohio	Yea
Markwayne Mullin	Republican	Oklahoma	Yea
Lisa Murkowski	Republican	Alaska	Yea
Chris Murphy	Democratic	Connecticut	Nay
Patty Murray	Democratic	Washington	Nay
Jon Ossoff	Democratic	Georgia	Yea
Alex Padilla	Democratic	California	Nay
Rand Paul	Republican	Kentucky	Yea
Gary Peters	Democratic	Michigan	Yea
Jack Reed	Democratic	Rhode Island	Nay
Pete Ricketts	Republican	Nebraska	Yea
James E. Risch	Republican	Idaho	Yea
Jacky Rosen	Democratic	Nevada	Yea
Mike Rounds	Republican	South Dakota	Yea
Bernie Sanders	Independent	Vermont	Nay
Brian Schatz	Democratic	Hawaii	Nay
Adam Schiff	Democratic	California	Yea
Eric Schmitt	Republican	Missouri	Yea
Chuck Schumer	Democratic	New York	Nay
Rick Scott	Republican	Florida	Yea
Tim Scott	Republican	South Carolina	Yea
Jeanne Shaheen	Democratic	New Hampshire	Yea
Tim Sheehy	Republican	Montana	Yea
Elissa Slotkin	Democratic	Michigan	Yea
Tina Smith	Democratic	Minnesota	Nay
Dan Sullivan	Republican	Alaska	Yea
John Thune	Republican	South Dakota	Yea
Thom Tillis	Republican	North Carolina	Yea
Tommy Tuberville	Republican	Alabama	Yea
Chris Van Hollen	Democratic	Maryland	Nay
Mark R. Warner	Democratic	Virginia	Nay
Raphael Warnock	Democratic	Georgia	Yea
Elizabeth Warren	Democratic	Massachusetts	Nay
Peter Welch	Democratic	Vermont	Yea
Sheldon Whitehouse	Democratic	Rhode Island	Nay
Roger Wicker	Republican	Mississippi	Yea
Ron Wyden	Democratic	Oregon	Nay
Todd Young	Republican	Indiana	Yea

Senate confirmation hearing

The Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a confirmation hearing for Rollins on January 23, 2025.

Brooke Rollins' Senate confirmation hearing, January 23, 2025

Financial disclosures

The Office of Government Ethics released Rollins' financial disclosures in January 2025. Click here to review them.

About the nominee

Raised in Glen Rose, Rollins graduated from Glen Rose High School, where she was an active member of the Texas FFA Association, serving as a State Officer. She attended Texas A&M University and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Development. While at Texas A&M, Rollins was the first female to serve as Student Body President and was recognized as the top graduate based on academics, leadership, and service. Rollins was invited back to campus as the 2007 Aggie Muster speaker.

Rollins graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law and spent several years as a litigator with Hughes & Luce, L.L.P., in Dallas, Texas, focusing primarily on complex commercial litigation. She also completed a federal judicial clerkship with the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn, a United States Federal District Judge in the Northern District of Texas.

Rollins formerly worked as the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit group with a mission of advancing former President Donald Trump's public policy agenda. Previously, Rollins was the head of Trump's Domestic Policy Council and an assistant to the president in the Office of American Innovation in Trump's first presidential term.

Rollins is the former president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a free market public policy think tank that has conducted research on education, taxes, tort reform, deregulation, criminal justice, and health care policy. Before joining the TPPF, Rollins served as Governor Rick Perry’s deputy general counsel, and later as his policy director. She managed the Governor’s Policy Division and all policy issues, including education, transportation, natural resources, agriculture, criminal justice, economic development, health and human services, and insurance.

Rollins is a member of the Texas Lyceum, the Texas Bar Association, and the Texas A&M Former Students Association.

About the confirmation process

See also: Appointment confirmation process

The confirmation process includes several rounds of investigation and review, beginning with the submission of a personal financial disclosure report and a background check. The nominee is then evaluated in a committee hearing, which allows for a close examination of the nominee and his or her views on public policy. Supporters and opponents of the nominee may also testify.

Once committee hearings are closed, most committees have a set amount of time before a vote is taken on whether the nominee is reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation. The nomination will then go to the Senate floor for consideration. Once the nomination is considered by the Senate, unlimited debate is allowed until a majority of the Senate votes to invoke cloture and close debate. Following a vote of cloture, the Senate conducts a simple majority vote on whether to confirm, reject, or take no action on the nomination.

About the Cabinet

A presidential Cabinet is a group of senior federal officials who advise the president on the issues and activities of their respective agencies. The Cabinet tradition is rooted in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which states that the president "may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices."

While not explicitly identified in the Constitution, the Cabinet secretaries are the 15 agency heads who are in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also part of the Cabinet. These positions, in order of presidential succession, are:

• Vice President
• Secretary of State
• Secretary of the Treasury
• Secretary of Defense
• Attorney General
• Secretary of the Interior
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Commerce
• Secretary of Labor
• Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• Secretary of Transportation
• Secretary of Energy
• Secretary of Education
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Secretary of Homeland Security

The number of officials in a Cabinet can vary across presidential administrations. The following additional positions are part of Trump's second term presidential Cabinet:

• White House chief of staff
• Ambassador to the United Nations
• Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
• Director of the Office of Management and Budget
• U.S. trade representative
• Director of National Intelligence
• Administrator of the Small Business Administration
• Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

All of the positions above, except for Vice President and White House Chief of Staff, require Senate confirmation.

Other Trump Cabinet nominees

See also: Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025 and Confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, 2025

The following table provides an overview of the status, confirmation hearings, and committee and Senate votes for each of Trump's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees in his second term.

Overview of confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees in his second term
Nominee	Position	Announced	Senate committee	Confirmation hearing	Committee vote	Senate vote	Status
Marco Rubio	Secretary of State	November 13, 2024	Foreign Relations	January 15, 2025	Favorable (22-0)	99-0	Confirmed on January 20, 2025
Scott Bessent	Secretary of the Treasury	November 22, 2024	Finance	January 16, 2025	Favorable (16-11)	68-29	Confirmed on January 27, 2025
Pete Hegseth	Secretary of Defense	November 12, 2024	Armed Services	January 14, 2025	Favorable (14-13)	51-50	Confirmed on January 24, 2025
Matt Gaetz	Attorney General	November 13, 2024	Judiciary	N/A	N/A	N/A	Withdrawn on November 21, 2024
Pam Bondi	Attorney General	November 21, 2024	Judiciary	January 15-16, 2025	Favorable (12-10)	54-46	Confirmed on February 4, 2025
Doug Burgum	Secretary of the Interior	November 14, 2024	Energy and Natural Resources	January 16, 2025	Favorable (18-2)	80-17	Confirmed on January 30, 2025
Brooke Rollins	Secretary of Agriculture	November 23, 2024	Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry	January 23, 2025	Favorable (23-0)	72-28	Confirmed on February 13, 2025
Howard Lutnick	Secretary of Commerce	November 19, 2024	Commerce, Science, and Transportation	January 29, 2025	Favorable (16-12)	51-45	Confirmed on February 18, 2025
Lori Chavez-DeRemer	Secretary of Labor	November 22, 2024	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions	February 19, 2025	Favorable (13-9)	67-32	Confirmed on March 10, 2025
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.	Secretary of Health and Human Services	November 14, 2024	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions / Finance	January 30, 2025 / January 29, 2025	N/A / Favorable (14-13)	52-48	Confirmed on February 13, 2025
Scott Turner	Secretary of Housing and Urban Development	November 22, 2024	Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs	January 16, 2025	Favorable (13-11)	55-44	Confirmed on February 5, 2025
Sean Duffy	Secretary of Transportation	November 18, 2024	Commerce, Science, and Transportation	January 15, 2025	Favorable (28-0)	77-22	Confirmed on January 28, 2025
Chris Wright	Secretary of Energy	November 16, 2024	Energy and Natural Resources	January 15, 2025	Favorable (15-5)	59-38	Confirmed on February 3, 2025
Linda McMahon	Secretary of Education	November 19, 2024	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions	February 13, 2025	Favorable (12-11)	51-45	Confirmed on March 3, 2025
Doug Collins	Secretary of Veterans Affairs	November 14, 2024	Veterans' Affairs	January 21, 2025	Favorable (18-1)	77-23	Confirmed on February 4, 2025
Kristi Noem	Secretary of Homeland Security	November 12, 2024	Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs	January 17, 2025	Favorable (13-2)	59-34	Confirmed on January 25, 2025
Jamieson Greer	U.S. Trade Representative	November 26, 2024	Finance	February 6, 2025	Favorable (15-12)	56-43	Confirmed on February 26, 2025
Tulsi Gabbard	Director of National Intelligence	November 13, 2024	Intelligence (Select)	January 30, 2025	Favorable (9-8)	52-48	Confirmed on February 12, 2025
Elise Stefanik	U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations	November 11, 2024	Foreign Relations	January 21, 2025	Favorable (Voice Vote)	N/A	Withdrawn on March 27, 2025
Michael Waltz	U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations	May 1, 2025	Foreign Relations	July 15, 2025	Favorable (12-10)	TBD	Passed committee
Russell Vought	Director of the Office of Management and Budget	November 22, 2024	Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget	January 15, 2025 / January 22, 2025	Favorable (8-7) / Favorable (11-0)	53-47	Confirmed on February 6, 2025
Lee Zeldin	Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency	November 11, 2024	Environment and Public Works	January 16, 2025	Favorable (11-8)	56-42	Confirmed on January 29, 2025
Kelly Loeffler	Administrator of the Small Business Administration	December 4, 2024	Small Business and Entrepreneurship	January 29, 2025	Favorable (12-7)	52-46	Confirmed on February 19, 2025
John Ratcliffe	Director of the Central Intelligence Agency	November 12, 2024	Intelligence (Select)	January 15, 2025	Favorable (14-3)	74-25	Confirmed on January 23, 2025

Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations

Comparison to Biden administration

See also: Joe Biden's Cabinet

The following chart displays how many days it took for the Cabinet secretaries of President Joe Biden (D) to be confirmed after the inauguration in 2021. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.