Agriculture nominee defends Trump’s deportation plans, says she’ll help farmers worried about labor

President Trump’s nominee for agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, said Thursday she supports her future boss’ deportation program and will assist farmers worried that efforts to eject illegal immigrants will lead to a crippling labor shortage.

Ms. Rollins defended Mr. Trump after Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, suggested some operations would shut down if they lost immigrant workers, pointing to farmers who can’t find young people or other Americans to fill those jobs.

“The president’s vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something that I support,” Ms. Rollins told the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee at a confirmation hearing.

Ms. Rollins said she would work with the Labor Department to improve the H-2A program that lets employers bring foreign workers to the U.S. to fill temporary agricultural jobs. She also said the early rounds of Mr. Trump’s deportation were focused on dangerous criminals.

Ms. Rollins said she couldn’t speak for the president’s future immigration plans, including whether there will be raids on farms. She testified that the president would “never forget the ag community” when carrying out his agenda.

She told the senators she was committed to ensuring “none of these farms or dairy producers are put out of business.”

Sen. Adam Schiff, California Democrat, said he’s worried that food prices will rise because of an immigrant labor shortage, despite Mr. Trump’s campaign pledge to fight food inflation.

Ms. Rollins said the administration will solve “any hypothetical issues that end up turning out to be real moving forward over the coming months and years.”

Also Thursday, Ms. Rollins said she would look for export markets for farmers so they wouldn’t need more aid from Washington.

She added she wants to close a $45 billion trade deficit for the agricultural industry. Estimates show agricultural exports for fiscal 2025 will total $170 billion while imports increase to $215 billion.

Finding ways to expand markets for U.S. farmers is crucial for “every member of this committee and perhaps every member of the ag community across this great nation,” she said. “Our country, and especially our ag community, is in a tough spot right now with regard to exports and moving our products out.”

Farmers were caught in the middle of a trade war between the U.S. and China during Mr. Trump’s first term, requiring a financial rescue program. Ms. Rollins expressed faith in the president to strike balanced trade deals in his second term that support farmers.

She also pledged to combat animal disease. Worldwide outbreaks of H5 bird flu are decimating flocks and have resulted in 67 cases in humans in the U.S.

Louisiana this month reported the first U.S. death related to the outbreaks.

“There is a lot that I have to learn on this, and if confirmed this will be one of the very top priorities,” Ms. Rollins said. “The current team and the future team will be working hand in hand to do everything we can on animal disease.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, warned that a recent pause on external communications from health agencies would hamper efforts to fight avian flu.

Ms. Rollins, 52, grew up in Glen Rose, Texas, and earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture development from Texas A&M University.

She served as acting director of Mr. Trump’s Domestic Policy Council during his first term and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit that promoted Mr. Trump’s public agenda for the past four years.

“This one is a no-brainer. Everyone who knows Brooke Rollins loves Brooke Rollins,” Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will work with the Department of Health and Human Services this year to update the dietary guidelines that help Americans determine what to eat and drink to promote nutrition and health goals.

The guidelines are updated every five years. A scientific committee released recommendations in December, and the agencies will work to finalize them after a public input period closes in February.

“Nominee Rollins will have a direct impact on that,” Kristi Boswell, counsel at Alston & Bird who served as senior adviser to the agriculture secretary in Mr. Trump’s first term, said in an interview.

Mr. Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS, adding intrigue to this year’s process. Mr. Kennedy has pledged to scrutinize what goes into Americans’ food, so he might want to put his stamp on the dietary guidelines.

Lawmakers will also want to ensure that their local food industries are considered in the guidelines.

“They’re there on behalf of their constitutions,” Ms. Boswell said of the senators at Ms. Rollins’ hearing. “What we do see is a lot of regional questions, a lot of regional considerations.”