A prominent Republican senator from an agriculture-heavy state is publicly breaking with President Donald Trump over a trade move that she fears could harm American ranchers.
President Donald Trump, who has been looking for ways to both bring costs down and improve economic conditions in Argentina for the electoral prospects of his ally Javier Milei, suggested on Sunday that the U.S. could start buying up Argentine beef to solve both problems. "We would buy some beef from Argentina," Trump said to reporters on Air Force One. "If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down."
This triggered immediate uproar, with U.S. cattle ranchers — a reliably Republican voting bloc for decades — slamming the move as a "betrayal" and National Cattlemen's Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall saying, “This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices.”
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), whose state sits in one of America's largest beef-producing regions, agreed.
"Since hearing the president’s comments suggesting the U.S. would buy beef from Argentina, I’ve been in touch with his administration and my colleagues to seek clarity and express my deep concerns," Fischer posted to X. "I’ve also been sounding the alarm on the bleak state of our ag economy and the negative impacts facing Nebraska’s ag industry — the economic driver of our state."
"Bottom line: if the goal is addressing beef prices at the grocery store, this isn’t the way," Fischer continued. "Right now, government intervention in the beef market will hurt our cattle ranchers. The U.S. has safe, reliable beef, and it is the one bright spot in our struggling ag economy. Nebraska’s ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they’re just getting ahead or simply breaking even."
From the outset of Trump's new term, his trade policies have provoked tension with some Republican lawmakers in agricultural states, where U.S. production is strong and the local economy is reliant on exports.