USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a Senate Committee on Agriculture hearing that the Biden administration is responsible for high grocery prices.
The exchange highlights the ongoing political tension regarding inflation and food security, as current administration officials shift blame for economic pressures onto previous policy decisions.
During the hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Rollins faced questioning from Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) regarding the affordability of food for American citizens. Warnock said that some people in Georgia cannot afford to buy groceries.
Rollins said the cost increases were due to the previous administration. "Well, but that's because of the Biden administration," Rollins said [1].
Warnock questioned the timing and substance of the response, asking if that was the answer two years later [1]. The exchange centered on whether current USDA oversight can mitigate the effects of those prior policies or if the economic damage remains entrenched.
Rollins said that the policies of the Biden administration are the primary driver behind the rising costs of food [1]. The hearing focused on broader USDA oversight and the department's role in managing the national food supply chain during a period of sustained inflation.
“"Well, but that's because of the Biden administration."”
The confrontation reflects a broader strategy by the current USDA leadership to decouple present agency performance from the lingering effects of previous federal economic policies. By attributing food inflation to the Biden administration, Rollins is framing the current cost-of-living crisis as a legacy issue rather than a failure of current departmental oversight.
