Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses Thanksgiving food costs, ground beef prices and how the Trump administration is helping American farmers on “Mornings with Maria.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is reforming what it calls the “out of control” SNAP benefits program.
The agency plans to spend more of its food budget on healthier, American-grown food options, including specialty crops, fruits and proteins. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the effort is part of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, championed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“There’s more to come early next year as we start to change the way we buy food and really support America’s farmers,” Rollins said Wednesday on “Mornings with Maria.”
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Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, center, signs one of three new SNAP food choice waivers for Idaho, Utah and Arkansas during a Make America Healthy Again event at the USDA Whitten Building in Washington, DC, on June 10. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Rollins noted that part of the shift will include using the USDA’s food purchasing power to get more American-grown fruits and specialty crops into school lunches and food banks.
She explained that the USDA spends approximately “$400 million per day on 16 nutrition programs.” The agency wants to improve how that money is spent to help reduce chronic diseases.
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The SNAP benefits program recently came under scrutiny during the last government shutdown, when funding for the food assistance program ran low. The USDA has since committed to this root out fraud within the program and requires participants to reapply for benefits.
Rollins also confirmed that the agency is finalizing a new “bridge package” of financial support for farmers. She said she has spoken with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and expects more announcements in the coming days.
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“It’s just a bridge to next year because of the president’s promise that this won’t be the case [going to] leave all our farmers behind,” Rollins said.
She added that farmers are facing significant financial pressures and the USDA plans to take action quickly.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on October 31. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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“For the farmers who are figuring out their planting and harvesting options for next year, they need that certainty now because their banks are asking for it,” Rollins said.
“It’s been a very, very tough few years on the farmland for our farmers.”
