Trump foreign beef import plan controversy
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Trump pledges to allow cattle ranchers to process own food amid beef imports backlash
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said there would be big announcements to facilitate the president's plan to allow ranchers and farmers to process their own food.
Donald Trump said he is authorizing legal documents to allow Farmers and Ranchers to process their own food.
Donald Trump announced the US will temporarily import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffs.
Trump signs proclamation to pause some beef tariffs
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she was not part of conversations about where the U.S. is importing the beef from.
The proclamation expands the amount of low-tariff lean beef trimmings to 300,000 metric tons.
Trump initially announced the move on Friday, August 22, 2026, as an effort to lower beef prices in the U.S.
Donald Trump approval rating map in major beef-producing states
Trump announced on August 21 that the United States would admit up to 300,000 metric tons of imported beef tariff-free for 90 days to help lower ground-beef prices.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie dismissed Trump’s proposal as a “nothing-burger” because farmers may already process their own meat but generally cannot sell individual cuts produced under the federal custom-slaughter exemption.
Kansas was the only state to show movement, with a one-point improvement in net approval.
Trump faces Republican backlash over plan to lift beef import tariffs
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the tariff pause is a short-term fix to get lower cost beef to Americans.
Donald Trump temporarily paused US tariffs on foreign beef.
Brooke Rollins said she does not know where the imported beef will come from.
GOP Lawmakers and Ranchers Criticize Trump's Beef Import Plan
Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said USA cattlemen should always be put first through America First policies.
A flesh-eating screwworm that targets cattle was detected in the U.S. earlier in 2026 for the first time in decades.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the United States' current cattle herd is the nation's smallest since 1951.
“This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”
Trump foreign beef import plan sparks rancher opposition
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, himself a rancher, said flooding the market with imported beef hurts farmers and ranchers.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association represents more than 175,000 cattle producers and feeders.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall said the association was disappointed with the announcement.
“American cattle producers have been disadvantaged for far too long. What our market really needs is a stable, America-First national policy that promotes American beef rather than continuing to import foreign beef as a quick ‘fix.’”
Trump administration to resume cattle imports on southern U.S. border amid parasite outbreak
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that closing the ports last May caused higher prices in beef.
USDA announced it will open the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry to cattle trade on Aug. 24.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that the border was set to reopen to cattle imports.