Trump Waives Tariffs on 300,000 Metric Tons of Foreign Ground Beef to Cut Grocery Prices — and Nearly Every Republican From Cattle Country Turns on Him, With One Calling It "Worse Than Socialism"
On Friday, August 21, 2026, President Trump announced that for the next 90 days the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings for ground beef to be imported with no out-of-quota tariff. He said foreign exporters had committed that "this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices," and framed it as relief for grocery bills eleven weeks before the midterms: "This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again." An executive order was expected within two weeks. The USDA touted the move as proof of Trump's commitment to "lowering the cost of everyday goods for the American people." The backlash came the same afternoon, and it came almost entirely from his own party. Both Nebraska senators, all three Nebraska House Republicans, Montana's Republican senator, Iowa's senior Republican senator and two of the House GOP's most vocal backbenchers went on the record against it within hours. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) said he had privately advised Trump against the policy "for a year" and warned that the ranchers it would hurt are "most of whom are MAGA Republicans." Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) called it "Worse than socialism!" Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) said she was "extremely disappointed by this decision from the White House." The substantive objection was consistent across party lines: the U.S. cattle herd is at historically low levels, and ranchers argue that suppressing prices with imported product removes the incentive to rebuild it. National Cattlemen's Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall said the move "sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging." Democrats attacked from a different angle — Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) tied it to the administration's earlier expansion of the Argentine beef quota. Trump, asked about the rancher complaints, said: "I love the ranchers; they've done a fantastic job. But they admit that we need a little help, and, in order to get the prices down, so that's what we're doing."
“For years I’ve heard they have problems with the big processors. They say the four are a “nasty group.” They cost our farmers a lot of money, and they cost our ranchers a lot of money, and they cost our people a lot of money. People have been asking for this change for decades, and we’re getting it done.”