Trump foreign beef import plan controversy
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Trump signs proclamation to pause some beef tariffs
The proclamation does not specify any countries by name that the action applies to.
The proclamation does not apply to countries with existing country-specific beef quotas and does not modify preexisting beef commitments for countries with a free trade agreement with the U.S.
Trump wrote in the proclamation that he may end the action if it does not result in a lower sale price of imported ground beef.
Donald Trump approval rating map in major beef-producing states
Kansas was the only state to show movement, with a one-point improvement in net approval.
Kentucky has experienced the largest decline in Trump's net approval among the top 10 beef-producing states, falling from +23 on January 20, 2025, to -5.
An Impact Research poll conducted for independent Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn from August 9 to 13 found Osborn and Republican Senator Pete Ricketts tied at 47 percent.
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.
Republican congressman Thomas Massie said the president's action should be a law, not just an executive order.
Trump faces Republican backlash over plan to lift beef import tariffs
The US will import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffs.
Brooke Rollins said she does not know where the imported beef will come from.
Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana said he advised Trump against the plan for a year.
Trump foreign beef import plan sparks rancher opposition
Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Stacy Simunek said allowing foreign beef products to enter the country threatens the prices ranchers currently receive for selling beef cattle.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association said Trump's beef import plan is political theater aimed at the midterm elections.
Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy, who cofounded a ranch and beef company, said he advised Trump against the plan.
“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.’”
GOP Lawmakers and Ranchers Criticize Trump's Beef Import Plan
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, said he represents a beef-producing state with four times as many cattle as people.
Trump defended the decision at Joint Base Andrews, saying he wanted to get beef prices down.
Senator Tim Sheehy, Republican of Montana, said the action would make it more difficult for American ranchers to rebuild the herd and bring prices down.
“This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”
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.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins found herself at odds with other Trump administration officials over the border closure.
Trump officials reopened the border to cattle imports shortly after Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration but closed it again a few months later.