Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins discusses the battle over government spending in “The Evening Edit.”
More than a dozen Republican lawmakers have opposed the Trump administration’s plan to expand beef imports from Argentina. They said that while the plan aims to ease pressure on America’s wallets, it will hurt American farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers.
“While we share the Administration’s goal of lowering costs for consumers, we are concerned that granting additional market access to Argentina – already one of our largest beef suppliers – will undermine U.S. livestock producers, weaken our position in ongoing trade negotiations, and reintroduce avoidable animal health risks,” the letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.
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On October 26, 2025, a cow is seen on a farm in Jamestown, California. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The letter was signed by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, and Reps. Adrian Smith, of Nebraska; Greg Steube, from Florida; Beth Van Duyne, of Texas; Mike Carey, of Ohio; Michelle Fischbach, from Minnesota; Bruce Westerman, of Arkansas; Rudy Yakym III, of Indiana; Scott Franklin, from Florida; Max Miller, of Ohio; David Kustoff, of Tennessee; Frank Lucas, of Oklahoma; Greg Murphy, from North Carolina; and Aaron Bean, from Florida.
“Providing greater access to countries that maintain barriers to U.S. beef or that have previously struggled to maintain animal health transparency risks disrupting markets and depressing livestock prices without delivering measurable benefits to consumers,” the lawmakers said.
The fourteen Republicans called for more domestic investment as a way to lower prices, rather than relying on imports.
Smith said in a statement he “strongly” disagreed with the claim that buying beef from Argentina would “have a meaningful impact on retail prices.” The committee chairman said he commended the Trump administration for its efforts to open new market access for U.S. farmers, but he expressed concerns about leniency toward countries that “maintained historically high tariffs on U.S. beef.” He added that “America First means American beef.”
The lawmakers who signed Wednesday’s letter are not the first to object to the plan. A group of Republicans led by Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., raised concerns about the bill last week. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Fedorchak and others warned that the plan could harm the US livestock industry, which is worth billions.
President Donald Trump greets Argentine President Javier Milei upon his arrival at the West Wing of the White House on October 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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“America’s livestock producers are among the most resilient and hardworking in the country,” the Republicans wrote. “Collectively, the livestock industry supports thousands of jobs in our counties and contributes $112 billion to rural economies across the country.”
Republicans also raised concerns about whether imported beef would meet the same food safety and animal health requirements as U.S. beef.
“Any import policy must hold foreign suppliers to the same high standards. Introducing beef from countries with inconsistent safety or inspection records could undermine the trust that American ranchers have worked for decades,” the lawmakers warned.
Last week, Rollins addressed the issue of food safety during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” when he said the U.S. is considering a plan to import beef from Argentina to increase supply and reduce costs. She said that while the imports would increase supply, they would not be “very much” compared to the amount produced in the US.
Cattle are shown in pens at the Cattlemen’s Columbus Livestock Auction on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 in Columbus, Texas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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In addition, Rollins acknowledged that Argentina was seeing an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among its livestock, but she said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would closely monitor imports to ensure safety.
“This is a very nuanced, very complex market that we are moving in every direction possible to ensure that we have a good future for these farmers,” Rollins said.
