U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins testifies before the House Committee on Agriculture on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was repeatedly ordered to stop talking and struggled to answer basic questions about the farm economy Thursday during a tense House Agriculture Committee hearing that devolved into a shouting match.
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), the committee's ranking member, came loaded with data — and used every second of her question time to expose what she called the administration's ignorance of its own record.
"Reclaiming my time means you stop talking," Craig snapped after Rollins repeatedly interrupted her. "That's what it means in this building."
Craig opened by asking Rollins how many farms the U.S. lost last year. Rollins cited bankruptcy figures. Craig cut her off: the country lost 15,000 farms in 2025 — fourth- and fifth-generation operations wiped out, she said, "because of bad policy on the part of this administration."
When Craig asked about total farmer losses, Rollins pushed back on the math. Craig was unimpressed.
"If this administration didn't have terrible policies, we would not need all that support for family farmers," she said, "because we would have export markets still left in China." Craig cited $28 billion in farmer losses — a figure the American Farm Bureau Federation has used to describe net crop returns after support payments for the 2025/26 crop year.
Craig then demanded to know the current national average price of farm diesel. Rollins deflected to the Biden administration. Craig fired back.
"Joe Biden is no longer the president of the United States. Mr. Trump is. Your party controls Congress. You own these numbers." Farm diesel hit $5.41 a gallon in May — up 95% year over year, she noted, across "the entire year in which this administration was in power in the White House, the House, and the Senate."
On fertilizer, Craig asked what share of farmers can't afford it this planting season. Rollins began breaking down fertilizer categories by region. "Oh, my God!" Craig cut in. "70% is the answer." A Farm Bureau survey of more than 5,700 farmers confirmed that figure.
Rollins shot back: "Those are not the numbers. That's not correct."
The hearing grew most heated over SNAP. Rollins disputed the program's official fraud rate, claiming states were self-reporting numbers the administration couldn't verify. Craig read the USDA's own data back to her.
"USDA's own data found 1.6%," Craig said. "I honestly don't think you understand the difference between error rates and fraud rates."
Rollins accused Craig of grandstanding. "You're not asking questions for an answer. You're asking questions to make a political statement."
Craig dismissed the charge and closed with a warning: "When you describe the farm economy as the 'golden age,' this administration needs to wake up and start understanding that family farmers are in need."