More than a dozen House Republicans, including the chairman of the committee that oversees trade policy, say they are troubled by President Donald Trump's plan to boost imports of Argentinian beef
“While we share the Administration’s goal of lowering costs for consumers, we are concerned that granting additional market access to Argentina - already one of our largest beef suppliers - will undermine American cattle producers, weaken our position in ongoing trade negotiations, and reintroduce avoidable animal-health risks,” the 14 GOP House lawmakers, including a dozen members of the House Ways and Means Committee, wrote to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Wednesday.
The letter, led by committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Trade Subcommittee Chair Adrian Smith, R-Neb., laments the large U.S. beef trade deficit with Argentina and high tariffs on U.S. beef exports to the country.
Argentina maintains 10% on U.S. beef, according to a World Bank tariff database.
“Providing greater access to nations that maintain barriers against U.S. beef or have previously struggled to maintain animal health transparency risks disrupting markets and depressing cattle prices without delivering measurable benefits to consumers,” the lawmakers write.
Accordingly, the lawmakers are pressing the administration to ensure that any adjustments to Argentina’s beef tariff-rate quota comes with equivalent market access for U.S. beef exports.
“We believe strongly that the path to lower prices and stronger competition lies in continued investment at home - expanding U.S. processing capacity by supporting small and medium processors, lowering costs for ranchers and processors, and increasing access to grazing lands - rather than in policies that advantage foreign competitors,” the lawmakers add.
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All 14 of the letter’s signatories have voted in lockstep with the White House’s priorities on every vote this Congress, according to the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s Trump voting scorecard.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, who was a Trump administration official in his first term and the Atlantic magazine once called “the face of Trumpism in Texas”, is also among the letters’ signatories.
Since Trump floated increasing U.S. beef imports from Argentina almost two weeks ago, several of his close political allies have publicly pushed back against the plan, including Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
All the major industry groups representing U.S. cattle producers have opposed the plan.
Trump has doubled down on his proposals in the face of the public pushback. In a pair of social media posts last week, the president lashed out at U.S. ranchers, charging that the reason the industry was enjoying strong profits was because of his tariff policy.
In reality, a historic shrinkage of the nation’s cattle herd and a multi-year drought have been more significant drivers of higher U.S. beef prices.
In a closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday, at least one senator raised the issue of Argentinian beef imports. Multiple senators have been publicly pushing the administration to pursue alternate policy tools to bring beef prices down.
“We should support our ranchers and grow the herd here,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Agri-Pulse last week. He said that in conversations with administration officials he had stressed that rising input costs have made it more expensive to produce beef and helped nudged prices upwards.
“Our ranchers, not only have they had a real hard time for a long time, but their input costs are on the line,” Hoeven said. “Everyone I've talked to the administration, that's the message I’ve relayed.”
The administration may already be pursuing at least one of the Hosue Republicans’ recommendations, however.
On Wednesday morning, Julie Callahan, assistant U.S. Trade Representative for agricultural affairs and commodity policy and Trump’s pick for chief ag trade negotiator, told Finance Committee senators in her nomination hearing that the U.S. is seeking concessions from Argentina in exchange for potentially quadrupling its beef tariff-rate quota.
In return for expanding Argentina’s access to the U.S. beef market, she said she would like to see some reductions in trade barriers for U.S. beef products.
“My intention in the negotiation with Argentina is this will not be a one-way conversation,” she said.
This story has been updated. An earlier version misstated the number of signatories that sit on the Ways and Means Committee.
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