More than a dozen Republican lawmakers pushed back against the Trump administration’s plan to expand beef imports from Argentina, saying that while the plan aims to ease the pressure on Americans’ wallets, it hurts U.S. farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers.
“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 letter addressed to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer read.
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The letter was signed by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Reps. Adrian Smith, of Nebraska; Greg Steube, of Florida; Beth Van Duyne, of Texas; Mike Carey, of Ohio; Michelle Fischbach, of Minnesota; Bruce Westerman, of Arkansas; Rudy Yakym III, of Indiana; Scott Franklin, of Florida; Max Miller, of Ohio; David Kustoff, of Tennessee; Frank Lucas, of Oklahoma; Greg Murphy, of North Carolina; and Aaron Bean, of Florida.
“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 said.
The 14 Republicans called for increased investments at home as a way of lowering prices, rather than relying on imports.
Smith said in a statement that he “strongly” disagreed with the assertion that buying beef from Argentina would “have a meaningful impact on prices at the store.” The committee chairman said that he commended the Trump administration for trying to open new market access for American farmers, but he expressed concern over leniency with countries that “historically maintained high tariffs on U.S. beef.” He added that “America First means American beef.”
The lawmakers who signed Wednesday’s letter are not the first ones to object to the plan. A group of Republicans led by Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., expressed concern over the bill last week. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Fedorchak and others warned that the plan could harm America’s multibillion-dollar ranching industry.
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“America’s cattle producers are among the most resilient and hardworking in the nation,” the Republicans wrote. “Collectively, the cattle industry supports thousands of jobs across our districts and contributes $112 billion to rural economies nationwide.”
The Republicans also expressed concern over whether imported beef would be held to the same food safety and animal health requirements as U.S. beef.
“Any import policy must hold foreign suppliers to those same rigorous standards. Introducing beef from countries with inconsistent safety or inspection records could undermine the confidence that U.S. ranchers have worked decades to earn,” the lawmakers warned.
Last week, during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Rollins addressed the issue of food safety when saying the U.S. was considering a plan to import beef from Argentina to increase supply and decrease costs. She said that while the imports would up supply, they would not be “very much” when compared to how much is produced in the U.S.
Additionally, Rollins acknowledged that Argentina was seeing an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among its cattle, but she said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would closely monitor imports to ensure safety.
“This is a very nuanced, very complex market that we’re moving in every potential possible direction to make sure that we’ve got a good future for these ranchers,” Rollins said.
FOX Business reached out to the White House and the Department of Agriculture for comment.
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