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Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, this week expressed opposition to the Trump administration’s proposal to boost Argentine beef imports.
Smith, in a Southeast Missourian op-ed published Monday, said he told President Trump in a recent conversation that “purchasing beef tariff-free from Argentina would be devastating to America’s cattle producers, who are struggling just to get by.”
Last week, the White House confirmed plans to quadruple the tariff rate quota for beef imports from Argentina, days after the president cited rising beef prices in backing the plan. The move comes after the administration finalized a $20 billion lifeline for Argentina to bolster the country’s economy ahead of its elections.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), meanwhile, unveiled a plan intended to strengthen the U.S. beef industry, including by boosting grazing access and disaster support, increasing market options and fostering increased demand domestically and internationally, among other actions.
The average per pound price of ground beef was around $6.32 in September, $0.77 higher than in January and $0.65 higher than in September 2024, according to USDA data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
In a statement to The Hill, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the president has “pledged to protect America’s ranchers and deliver economic relief for everyday Americans.”
“The Administration is accomplishing both by expanding beef imports from Argentina to lower consumer prices in the short term while rolling out a new USDA initiative that will support ranchers and expand cattle herd sizes to keep prices lower in the long term,” Kelly added.
The proposal regarding Argentine beef sparked backlash from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. In his op-ed, Smith said that cattle farmers “are not to blame” for rising beef prices, pointing to the high cost of feed, fertilizer, fuel and equipment.
Ranchers in Smith’s home state of Missouri had 3.95 million cattle and calves at the start of this year, according to the USDA.
“Rural America does not ask for much,” he said. “They just want a fair shot and a government that has their back. We must not undermine the progress we have made by going forward with the proposed importation of Argentine beef.”
