President Trump announced Friday that the United States will temporarily suspend higher tariffs on some ground beef imports, a move aimed at bringing down grocery prices that is already drawing sharp criticism from American ranchers and Republican lawmakers.
Under the plan, the U.S. will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to enter the country over a 90-day period without being subject to an “out-of-quota tariff,” the higher tariff rate that can kick in once imports exceed established quotas.
Trump announced the move on Truth Social, saying the temporary change would provide relief to consumers while the administration works to increase domestic cattle supplies.
The administration is taking the step “as we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers,” Trump said.
A White House official said Trump is expected to sign an executive order implementing the tariff change within the next two weeks.
Trump says deal will cut beef prices
Beef prices have become a growing concern for consumers as the U.S. cattle herd has shrunk and grocery costs have remained elevated.
The average price of 100 percent ground beef is about $6.89 per pound, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shared by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Trump blamed the situation on his predecessor, saying Friday that beef prices “soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history” during the Biden administration.
He also said his administration had secured commitments designed to deliver imported beef to consumers at significantly lower prices.
“We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices,” Trump said. “This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”
Trump did not identify the countries involved in the agreement.
Asked about the source of the beef while at Joint Base Andrews on Friday, Trump said he did not want to disclose the countries yet.
“There are a few countries, but they’re going to be sending in the highest quality beef, and it’s something that we need,” he said.
The president had reportedly considered a similar move in May but abandoned the idea following opposition from within his circle.
‘That’s what the voters want’
Trump later defended the tariff suspension before boarding Air Force One for a trip to South Carolina, arguing that consumers want the administration to act on high beef prices.
“We want to get the beef prices down, so we will get them down a little bit,” Trump said. “That’s what people want, that’s what the voters want, and that’s what I want.”
Trump also sought to reassure cattle producers that the decision was not an attack on their industry.
“The ranchers are great. They are my people. I love the ranchers; they’ve done a fantastic job,” he said. “But they admit that we need a little help in order to get the prices down, so that is what we’re doing.”
That explanation did little to calm opposition from the cattle industry.
Cattle producers push back
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association quickly criticized the announcement, warning that bringing large quantities of lower-priced foreign beef into the U.S. could undermine the same ranchers the administration says it wants to help.
Colin Woodall, CEO of the association, said the group was “disappointed” by Trump's decision.
“While 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,” Woodall said. “Cattle markets have already turned sharply lower this morning, to the detriment of farmers and ranchers.”
Woodall said the timing was particularly concerning because producers are approaching a period when they make important decisions about the size of their herds.
“Cattle farmers and ranchers are responding to strong market signals and historically high demand, and we are already working to rebuild after years of ongoing drought, high input costs and other challenges that have reduced U.S. cattle numbers,” he said.
Woodall said the administration's announcement throws “cold water” on efforts to expand herds.
Meriwether Farms, a Wyoming farm-to-table cattle operation, went further, describing Trump's decision as a “betrayal” on social media.
Republican senator criticizes Trump’s move
The criticism was not limited to the cattle industry.
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said she was “extremely disappointed” with the decision and warned that lowering prices through additional imports could come at the expense of domestic producers.
“We all want lower grocery prices, but as I’ve said for months, we cannot do it at the expense of American producers,” Fischer wrote on X. “Flooding the market with foreign beef hurts our livestock industry and undermines the long-term solution: growing the U.S. cattle herd to meet demand.”
The dispute highlights the difficult balance facing the administration: lowering food prices quickly while trying to encourage American ranchers to expand cattle production.
For consumers, more imported ground beef could offer some near-term relief at the grocery store. For ranchers, however, the prospect of hundreds of thousands of metric tons of additional imports raises concerns that lower cattle prices could weaken the incentive to expand herds.
