U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews following a visit to Iowa, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins contradicted one of President Donald Trump's recent claims that he'd be putting farmers in charge of their migrant workers.
Speaking on Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that Rollins proclaimed there would be "no amnesty." Instead, she wants to see people on Medicaid who need jobs to meet Trump's new work requirements go to work in the fields. The report cited her claims of "tens of millions of people on Medicaid" who could be working to pick fruits and vegetables across the country.
It contradicts what Trump said at a Thursday rally in Iowa. The president vowed to put farmers in charge of migrant workers.
“If a farmer has been with one of these people that worked so hard – they bend over all day, we don’t have too many people that can do that, but they work very hard, and they know him very well, and some of the farmers are literally, you know, they cry when they see this happen,” Trump said. “If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people, in some way … I think we’re going to have to just say that’s going to be good, right?”
Trump even went so far as to credit Rollins with bringing the issue to his attention. According to Trump, Rollins told him, "We have a little problem. The farmers are losing a lot of people."
“And we figured it out, and we have some stuff being written,” Trump added.
But on Tuesday, Rollins had a different story, focusing instead on an all-American workforce, citing automation and “some reform within the current governing structure."
“There are plenty of workers in America, but we just have to make sure we’re not compromising today,” Rollins said.