As expected, the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm Brooke Rollins as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Rollins was sworn as the nation’s 33^rd ag secretary during a private ceremony at the U.S. Supreme Court building.

The Senate’s vote was 72-28, and it never appeared her nomination was in danger after a fairly congenial hearing before the Senate Ag Committee and after being unanimously reported out of committee. Rollins will now lead the USDA, a massive federal agency with more than 100,000 employees, 29 agencies and a $213 billion budget.

“Every day, I will fight for American farmers, ranchers, and the agriculture community. Together, we have an historic opportunity to revitalize rural America and to ensure that U.S. Agriculture remains the best in the world for generations to come,” Rollins said Thursday in a statement.

Rollins will face a number of challenges in the agricultural industry as she takes office, especially as budget hawks continue to scrutinize massive federal agencies for potential fraud and waste.

The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is already embroiled in a battle over accounting methods being employed by the previous administration with the SNAP program, and the Trump administration has placed a temporary freeze on billions in grant funding that has ensnared conservation program funding — which has enraged farm groups.

Farmers themselves have recently faced low commodity prices, high input costs and inflation and consecutive natural disasters – on top of waiting for the Congress to reauthorize a Farm Bill.

Rollins testified last month before a Senate committee that she would get disaster aid distributed to farmers after it was approved by legislators, as well as cracking down on animal disease outbreaks and working with an internal team already waiting to tackle Farm Bill reauthorization.

Rollins also pledged to stand up for the agriculture industry on immigrant labor, even as Trump has ordered mass deportations of illegals in the U.S. One Senator noted a large percentage of immigrant farm workers are undocumented but still perform crucial services for farmers.

Rollins also said expanding access to trade markets was a high priority and she had faith that Trump would negotiate ag trade deals with the interests of American farmers in mind.

Rollins spent her early years baling hay and raising livestock in Glen Rose, Texas. She spent summers working on her family’s farm in Minnesota and participated in all levels of 4-H and FFA. Rollins served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), and she and her husband, Mark, currently reside in Fort Worth, Texas.

Rollins attended Texas A&M University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in agricultural development on scholarship. She served as deputy general counsel and policy director for former Texas Governor Rick Perry, and “championed rural priorities” across the federal government as President Trump’s former Director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council.

CLICK HERE to watch Rollins’ confirmation hearing in its entirety before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. See her opening testimony here.