Tim Sheehy

President Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday that his administration would waive tariffs on imported beef to lower costs for Americans is facing criticism from some Republicans.

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he “concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef.”

“As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff," he wrote. "We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.”

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The announcement comes as the Trump administration has struggled to bring down the cost of beef, which has remained high over recent years amid drought, a tight supply of cattle and the consistent demand for beef products.

Trump made affordability concerns a cornerstone of his 2024 campaign, and high inflation helped propel his return to the White House. But 19 months into his second term, Americans are continuing to grapple with high costs and inflation. It’s become a political sore spot for the administration ahead of this year's midterm elections, as Democrats have polling leads over Republicans in key races.

The president has also implemented 50 percent tariffs on Brazil, a major exporter of beef.

But some Republicans expressed concerns about the plan and its impacts on American ranchers. They argued that the administration should be focusing on helping domestic cattlemen, rather than helping promote foreign beef.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email.

Trump Beef Plan Sparks GOP Criticism

Several prominent Republicans have spoken out against Trump’s beef plan.

Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana wrote on X that he has advised Trump against this 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,” he wrote. “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.”

Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, once a close ally of Trump but who has emerged as a leading critic, wrote on X that American producers “will be undercut by foreign imported beef, as they have been hit financially with high cost of fertilizer and diesel from Trump’s war with Iran.”

“The Trump admins attempt to lower the cost of beef is American beef LAST and foreign beef FIRST,” she wrote.

Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky called it a “slap in the face to American cattlemen & consumers.”

“Dumping foreign beef in U.S. markets can temporarily lower prices but it won’t incentivize American farmers to raise more beef. Bring back Country Of Origin Labels & pass my PRIME Act,” he wrote on X.

Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren wrote on X: “You know what won’t help American ranchers? Importing a bunch of foreign beef.”

Lahren also wrote in a separate post that foreign beef should be labeled.

“This is like throwing a bunch of cheap SHEIN s*** into Nordstrom and refusing to brand it as such,” she wrote.

Meriwether Farms, a Wyoming farm that has been supportive of Trump, wrote on X that Trump's announcement is a “betrayal.”

Cattlemen Group Opposes Trump Action

Trump’s announcement also faced backlash from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which said in a statement it is “disappointed” in the news.

“America’s cattle producers share the goal of keeping groceries affordable for consumers, flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd," NCBA Chief Executive Officer Colin Woodall wrote in a statement. "Cattle markets have already turned sharply lower this morning, to the detriment of farmers and ranchers.”

Beef Costs Surge

The price of beef has steadily increased and was $6.885 per pound in July, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. For comparison, it was $6.254 per pound in July 2025 and $4.388 per pound in July 2021, according to the Fed.

A June 2026 report from the lobbying group Coalition for a Prosperous America found numerous reasons the price has increased, including that the number of U.S. cattle had fallen to 86.2 million, the smallest in 75 years. Additionally, there are more than 450,000 fewer cattle ranchers than in 1997, according to the report.

It also found that drought has made the crisis worse, with 75 percent of the beef cow herd being raised in drought.

“That is the trap," the report said. "The country needs more cattle, but the rebuild is slow and cautious, not a full expansion. Ranchers have to make breeding decisions years before the extra beef reaches consumers. Keeping more heifers today means carrying more animals through drought, feed costs, interest costs, and market risk before seeing the payoff."

The report advocated for a "strong, reliable policy signal that the United States wants more domestic cattle production," rather than "another round of imports."