Republican Ranchers in Congress Urge Trump to Put American Ranchers First

President Donald Trump announced a new deal to address the rising cost of beef, support American ranchers, and rebuild the smallest herd in modern history. Republican members of Congress are now criticizing Friday’s announcement, calling it a temporary solution that could hurt American ranchers in the long run.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices. This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again,” he continued.

Trump did not immediately share which countries had been selected to provide the beef. “I don’t want to say which countries, but there are a few,” he originally told reporters, but later mentioned Argentina as one. It is unclear how the savings will be passed on to consumers, but the White House said an executive order with more details is expected in the next two weeks.

The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest in 70 years, causing beef prices to rise significantly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, beef prices have risen over 11% over the last year and increased 1.2% on a monthly basis. Ahead of the midterms, both parties are increasingly concerned about affordability.

Republican members of Congress from ranching states quickly responded negatively to the news, with even MAGA members breaking with the president.

Cattle rancher Rep. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., said that he has advised the president against this plan for over a year. “American ranchers have been struggling against the packer monopoly for decades, and this will further harm them—most of whom are MAGA Republicans,” Sheehy said.

“The reality is this action will make it more difficult for American ranchers to rebuild our herd and bring prices down for the American people. And most importantly, this will harm our ranching families who feed the nation,” he continued.

“I understand the president taking action to lower prices at the grocery store, but it cannot happen on the backs of our ranchers,” said Rep. Troy Downing, R-Mont. “Montana producers cannot be asked to absorb the cost. We must protect our ranchers and strengthen the American cattle herd so American beef remains at the center of our food supply.”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said it was disappointed by the announcement, noting it “sacrifices long-term stability for short-term messaging.”

“While America’s cattle producers share the goal of keeping groceries affordable for consumers, flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd. Cattle markets have already turned sharply lower this morning, to the detriment of farmers and ranchers,” shared National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Executive Officer Colin Woodall.

The Make America Healthy Again movement and those who support “America First” are also criticizing the president’s plan. MAHA podcaster Alex Clark, host of “Culture Apothecary,” shared her own plan to lower beef prices, which included passing Rep. Thomas Massie’s PRIME Act, supporting farming techniques that don’t need pesticides, helping independent processors, and making real food affordable through SNAP benefits rather than ultra-processed food.

The PRIME Act, or the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act, is from Massie, who called Trump’s plan “worse than socialism.” The legislation would expand the exemption for individual states to allow custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, or lamb to be sold to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not return the Daily Signal’s request for comment by publication time.