Cattle Producers, Lawmakers Condemn Trump’s New Beef Import Plan

Reuters’ Karl Plume and Susan Heavey reported that “President Donald Trump said on Friday he will temporarily ease beef tariffs to help lower prices, although U.S. cattle producers warned the move would hurt efforts to rebuild herds and economists said it would have little effect on prices.”

“Trump will sign an executive order within the ​next two weeks expanding by 300,000 metric tons the amount of ground beef that can enter the U.S. with lower import ​tariffs, to be in effect for 90 days, aiming to lower prices as U.S. consumers struggle with grocery ⁠bills, the White House said,” according to Plume and Heavey’s reporting. “Trump, in an earlier social media post, said he had ‘a commitment’ that the imported meat would be sold ​at 25% below current market prices under the plan. The president did not provide further details.”

“The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the largest lobbying group representing U.S. ranchers and cattle feeders, said Trump’s plan would hurt farmers and ​ranchers and could discourage expansion of the U.S. herd,” Plume and Heavey reported. “‘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,’ the association’s CEO, Colin Woodall, said in a statement.”

“United States Cattlemen’s ‌Association ⁠President Justin Tupper, said in a separate statement: ‘You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last. This move will weaken our markets and gamble with food safety in the process,’” Plume and Heavey reported.

Imports are Latest Attempt to Lower Beef Prices

NewsNation’s Alicia Sitz and Bennett Haeberle reported that “the imports are the administration’s attempt to combat record-high beef prices. Beef prices have jumped for numerous reasons, including a shrinking U.S. cattle herd, drought, consumer demand, and inflation.”

“According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. entered 2026 with about 86.2 million cattle and calves, the smallest herd since the early 1950s,” Sitz and Haeberle reported. “Ground beef prices are nearing $7 per pound, up $0.63 since July 2025. Sirloin steaks have jumped to nearly $15 per pound, up $1.04 since July 2025.”

“So far, the president has not said where the cheaper beef would be coming from,” Sitz and Haeberle reported. “When asked by a reporter about it Friday, President Trump said, ‘I don’t want to say which countries, but there are a few countries.'”

Farm State Lawmakers Decry Decision

NBC News’ Alexandra Marquez reported that “House and Senate Republicans on Friday criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend tariffs on ground beef imports, with lawmakers from agricultural states decrying the impact Trump’s decision will have on farmers.”

“Nebraska’s GOP senators, Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, said in separate posts on X that Trump’s decision was unwise,” Marquez reported. “‘I’m extremely disappointed by this decision from the White House,’ Fischer wrote. ‘We all want lower grocery prices, but as I’ve said for months, we cannot do it at the expense of American producers. Flooding the market with foreign beef hurts our livestock industry.'”

I appreciate the Administration’s work to lower grocery prices. Short term policy shifts do not equal long term solutions. Flooding the market with lower quality beef compromises Nebraska farmers and ranchers. They should be enabled to grow herd sizes and meet consumer demand.

— Senator Pete Ricketts (@SenatorRicketts) August 21, 2026

“Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who is running for Senate and received Trump’s endorsement in the race, also panned his announcement, writing in a post on X, ‘I want to lower prices but this is a bad idea,'” Marquez reported. “Hinson said that instead of allowing beef imports without tariffs, ‘We should be focused on cutting red tape for cattle producers, lowering the cost of production, and supporting market-based solutions to support Iowa producers and lower costs for consumers.'”

Ag Secretary Rollins Defends Beef Import Increase

The Des Moines Register’s Donnelle Eller and Stephen Gruber-Miller reported that “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins defended President Donald Trump’s decision to allow more imported ground beef into the country, saying it will help Americans shrink their grocery bills.”

“Rollins said her boss’s top priority is to shrink food costs for American families, and importing lean trimmings will slash consumer prices by 25%,” Eller and Gruber-Miller reported. “‘We’re going to see that cost of ground beef go down,’ Rollins told reporters at the Iowa State Fair Friday, Aug. 21, after meeting with Iowa grain farmers and livestock producers.”

But “Sunghun Lim, an Iowa State University economics associate professor, said consumers shouldn’t expect to see a 25% drop at the grocery store,” Eller and Gruber-Miller reported. “‘The more cautious interpretation is that the measure should put downward pressure on ground-beef prices relative to where they otherwise would have been,’ said Lim in an email Friday.”

“Lim said imported beef could help slow rising beef prices,” Eller and Gruber-Miller reported. “‘With U.S. cattle supplies still tight, retail prices could remain elevated or even continue rising, while still being somewhat lower than they otherwise would have been,’ he said.”