President Donald Trump’s moves to allow foreign beef to flood domestic markets in an attempt to lower prices may have been a losing bet.
Trump is still facing backlash from U.S. ranchers and some Republicans over his decision to allow the importing of roughly 600 million pounds of foreign-supplied beef, POLITICO reported Friday. The move comes after beef prices rose to $6.92 per pound in August, up from the January 2025 average of $5.55 per pound.
The White House and U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
“There’s a lot of frustration and anger,” Kansas Farm Bureau President Glenn Brunkow, a fifth-generation farmer, told the outlet.
Burnkow said opening beef imports to countries like Brazil reduces the value of the American cow — which can usually sell for roughly $2,000 — by $200 to $400.
“We knew it wouldn’t have much of an effect on the hamburger price in the store. But the markets took that news, and it really knocked the price we get for our cattle down,” he said.
Republican Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis likewise told POLITICO she’s still facing backlash from ranchers in her state over the Trump’s “somewhat self-defeating” proclamation.
Lummis, however, isn’t the only Republican lawmaker to criticize the gambit.
Shortly after Trump — who famously campaigned for protectionist policies — posted Aug. 21 to Truth Social that the U.S. “will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff [for the next 90 days]” and sell the beef “25 percent below current market prices,” Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Tim Sheehy of Montana voiced their concerns on X.
Grassley posted he was “concerned for the cattle markets” and that the White House should instead focus on fighting the screwworm epidemic threatening the health of U.S. cattle while expanding domestic herds.
After Tyson closure in Illinois last wk I’m concerned for the cattle markets +now Pres Trump’s decision to temporarily open up subsidized beef imports USA cattlemen shld always be put 1st thru America 1st policies Need 2keep up progress fighting screwworm+ expanding domestic herd
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) August 21, 2026
“I’ve advised President Trump against this course of action for a year because American ranchers have been struggling against the packer monopoly for decades, and this will further harm them – most of whom are MAGA Republicans,” Sheehy also posted that same day.
I’ve advised President Trump against this course of action for a year because American ranchers have been struggling against the packer monopoly for decades, and this will further harm them – most of whom are MAGA Republicans.
The President’s heart is in the right place on wanting lower prices for the American people, and beef prices have been impacted by the Mexican screwworm.
But the reality is this action will make it more difficult for American ranchers to rebuild our herd and bring prices down for the American people. And most importantly, this will harm our ranching families who feed the nation.
— Tim Sheehy (@TimSheehyMT) August 21, 2026
Causing no discernible effect on prices, an estimated 8,054 to 21,936 metric tons of beef were imported into the U.S. in September that otherwise would not have entered the domestic market, the University of Arkansas reported.
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