Republican lawmakers and producers are raging against Donald Trump’s move to give American consumers more imported beef while leaving domestic ranchers out in the cold.
Trump, 80, announced his plan on Truth Social on Friday, outlining his decision to ship food in from overseas rather than support local farmers and holding Joe Biden responsible for current grocery costs.
“Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families,” he posted.
“As everyone knows, under President Biden, beef prices soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history.”
Trump continued: “As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff.
He promised that the deal would “reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”
Republicans, however, have blasted his choice as anti-American amid major domestic farming struggles.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton—ordinarily a Trump yes-man—posted on X Sunday: “Beef prices are too high for a simple reason: Our cattle herd is too small. Imported beef below market prices will only put more pressure on our cattlemen.
“I have advised the President against this ill-advised action in the past and I now urge him to reconsider. We need to support our cattlemen, grow the herd, and let the market work.”
He was joined by North Dakota state Rep. Dawson Holle, who juggles his GOP duties with work as a sixth-generation dairy farmer.
Holle began his Saturday X post: “I strongly disagree with President Trump’s decision today to open the door to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without the out-of-quota tariff.
“You don’t put America First by putting American ranchers second.”
Holle said “cattle futures dropped sharply” following Trump’s statement.
“On this issue, he is wrong,” he said.
Charles W. Herbster, Trump’s former agriculture adviser, also spoke out Saturday, saying he was “extremely disappointed” with Trump’s decision, which would “hurt” the industry.
“I genuinely hope President Trump reconsiders this move and instead works with us to make our beef industry profitable for all producers and more affordable for consumers,” he wrote.
“You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last,” U.S. Cattlemen’s Association President Justin Tupper said in a statement, warning that the decision “will weaken our markets and gamble with food safety in the process.”
Trump and his minions have become fixated by the cost of ground beef over the past year, blaming everything from the Biden administration to migrant border crossings for the rising expense.
Prices haven’t gone down despite the mudslinging, with 2026 having produced historic high costs month-on-month thus far.
