President Donald Trump is facing rare backlash from members of his own party over his plan to temporarily lift tariffs on hundreds of thousands of tons of foreign beef to lower grocery prices.
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Under the president’s plan, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef to enter the country without higher tariffs, The Guardian reported Tuesday. Trump said the imported meat would be sold at 25% below “current market prices.”
While Trump claimed the deal “will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again,” not all were sold on it – including some Republicans in Congress.
“I absolutely want to see those prices come down,” said Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA). “But I think this isn’t the way to do that.”
Hinson, the GOP nominee in a competitive Iowa Senate race, argued that the MAGA administration should instead focus on helping American cattle producers rebuild their herds.
“It takes some time, and it takes some resources,” she told Fox News. “I think we should be letting market conditions do what they do. Demand for beef is still really high.”
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Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) also shot down the policy, according to a report in The Guardian.
“Americans want U.S. beef on the table – not foreign imports,” he wrote in a social media post. “It needs to be easier – not harder – for Wyoming ranchers to feed America.”
Another frequent Trump ally, Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) warned that “short-term policy shifts do not equal long-term solutions.”
“Flooding the market with lower quality beef compromises Nebraska farmers and ranchers,” he added.
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) said he had advised Trump against the policy for a year, The Guardian reported. Although Trump’s “heart is in the right place,” Sheehy said, the move could make it harder for American ranchers – most of whom, he added, are “MAGA Republicans.”
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