Ag Secretary and Trade Representative nominees announced

President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Texas native Brooke Rollins to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) when he takes office next month.

If confirmed, Rollins would be­­come the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the first Texan to ever hold the office. She would also be only the second woman ever to serve as secretary of agriculture, after Ann Veneman of California, who led the USDA from 2001-2005 under President George W. Bush.

"Brooke's commitment to support the American farmer, defense of American food self-sufficiency and the restoration of agriculture-dependent American small towns is second to none," Trump said in announcing the nomination. "As our next secretary of agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to ...