ROLLINS TAKES ON TARIFFS: As Trump gears up to roll out his sweeping tariff threats, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is promising farmers she’d be “in the room” to protect them from the economic repercussions. Speaking to producers and industry groups at the Commodity Classic in Colorado yesterday, Rollins promised to support farmers in the face of tariffs, the department’s overhaul and the “Make America Healthy Again” push. Trump’s tariffs: Rollins has said she’ll bail out farmers who are targets for any retaliation as a result of Trump’s tariff threats, as former USDA chief Sonny Perdue did during the first Trump administration. (Though MA readers will recall the bucket of funds to do so are running low.) Trump pledged last week to enforce his planned 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting tomorrow, after both were put on pause in February. It’s unclear how final the president’s decision might be, as our colleagues reported. "I know firsthand how important trade is to your success," Rollins told producers Sunday. "And I am committed, as a very top priority, to work with this president to travel this world and expand market access for all of our crops and all of our producers." Funding freezes: Rollins also told farmers she would release funds under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, acknowledging farmers’ worries about the major federal spending freeze. USDA has paused much of its spending that was already allocated to farmers and programs, causing chaos and uncertainty among those who weren’t sure if they’d get the money they expected. It’s unclear if Rollins’ announcement referred to the $20 million in already-unfrozen funds or marked a second tranche of funding released. “I know this review process has caused concern,” Rollins said. “And I don't say any of this flippantly. I know that among you who have participated in longstanding USDA programs, in many instances, you had no way of knowing whether these programs were funded through the farm bill or through the latest IRA funds from Joe Biden.” Department overhaul: USDA is also working (and struggling) to rehire some employees who handle the bird flu response and loans for farmers. They’re also facing a major “reduction in force” effort and are requiring employees to come back to USDA headquarters, as Rollins touted yesterday. “My team will be available to answer your calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Rollins said. “And if not, give me their name, because as you may have heard, our team is now seeing a little bit of reduction in force across the federal government." More economic aid: USDA will also be launching the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, a new program the department will use to release $31 billion in economic and disaster aid allocated by Congress. Rollins said they’re on track to roll out the $10 billion in economic aid to farmers in coming weeks and are focusing on streamlining applications for producers to receive disaster relief dollars. On MAHA: The secretary also said she will protect farmers’ interests during discussions about policy updates to make, as farmers and food industry leaders worry about potential bans on some pesticides and GMOs. “As we speak on efforts to make America healthy again, I am certain that we will do so in a way that does not compromise you and your farms and your farming practices,” Rollins said. Bird flu: Rollins also unveiled her initial plan to respond to the bird flu outbreak last week. But some egg producers and lobbying groups are urging USDA to keep working harder on plotting a poultry vaccine response, which they argue could be vital to protecting the industry from ruin. USDA is still negotiating with other countries like Turkey to get deals to import more eggs into the U.S. What did you do last week? USDA employees also received new requests from the Office of Personnel Management asking them to send in what they did last week, according to a copy of the email viewed by MA. Public-sector employees across the government, who have been buffeted in recent weeks by large-scale firings orchestrated by DOGE, received emails late Friday with an ominous subject line: “What did you do last week? Part II.” USDA has since instructed employees to keep their responses short and avoid including classified information, links or attachments. The department previously told employees that replying to the email is voluntary and that there will be no penalties for non-response. | 
