Nebraska GOP Sen. Deb Fischer criticizes Trump Argentina beef idea

Republican Sen. Deb Fischer Nebraska on Tuesday warned President Donald Trump that a U.S. proposal to buy Argentinian beef would hurt American cattle farmers and fail to lower prices.

“Bottom line: If the goal is to address beef prices at the grocery store, this is not the way to go,” Fischer wrote in an X post.

Trump floated the idea over the weekend as a way to reduce rising beef costs in the United States this year.

The tentative plan would include more U.S. investment in Argentina, a South American country whose economy has been revived after being hit by a recent $20 billion currency swap deal with the Trump administration.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that the United States was considering providing aid to Argentina. 20 billion more dollars in finance. Argentinian President Javier Milei is a close ally of Trump.

Fischer wrote Tuesday morning that he reached out to the Trump administration to express “deep concerns” about the possible purchase of Argentine beef.

“I also sound the alarm about the dismal state of our agricultural economy and the negative impacts facing Nebraska’s agricultural industry, the economic driver of our state,” Fischer wrote.

“Current government intervention in the beef market will hurt our cattlemen. The United States has safe and reliable beef, and that’s the one bright spot in our struggling agricultural economy,” the senator wrote.

“Nebraska’s farmers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they are just getting ahead or just breaking even,” he wrote.

“I strongly encourage the Trump administration to focus on trade agreements that benefit our agricultural producers, not on imports that will do more harm than good.”

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that his administration was “considering doing” the beef deal with Argentina.

“We’ll buy some beef from Argentina,” Trump said. “If we do that, our beef prices will go down.”

Asked to respond to U.S. farmers who think this deal will benefit Argentina more than they do, Trump shrugged it off.

“Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You know nothing about it,” he said.

“I like the president of Argentina if I can help them survive in a free world. I think he’s trying to do the best he can. But don’t talk like they’re doing great. They’re dying,” Trump said.

The president’s comments quickly raised alarm among U.S. cattlemen.

The National Beef Association said Monday that its farmers and ranchers are “concerned that rewarding Argentina with expanded access to the U.S. market would harm American cattlemen and women while also interfering with the free market.”

“This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of year for American cattle producers while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices,” NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said in the same article. Press release.

The Trump administration’s financial aid to Buenos Aires has already drawn the ire of American soybean producers, who are suffering the loss of China as their biggest customer due to the ongoing trade war with the United States.

China has started buying soybeans from Argentina, which reportedly suspended export duties last month. Matched Trump’s words To help Milei.

Asked about the purchase of Argentine beef on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday morning, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins noted that Trump “mentioned it several times.”

“I think you’re going to hear more about exactly what that looks like,” he said.

The beef industry in the U.S. has undergone massive consolidation in recent years, resulting in the closure of thousands of farms, Rollins said.

“Prices are high. The president has been very focused on his promise to keep grocery prices low, but he’s also been very focused, and maybe you’ll hear more from us in the next day or two about what we’re going to do to encourage people to become farmers,” Rollins said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not directly express concerns about Fischer’s Argentine offer in a statement to CNBC.

“While prices for other proteins such as eggs, pork and chicken have fallen in recent months, beef prices remain high. This is due to the perfect storm of continued growth in consumer demand for beef combined with a prolonged decline in the supply of live cattle,” a USDA spokesperson said. he said.

“It will take time to rebuild the herd, but Secretary Rollins is committed to reducing risk for cattle producers, providing strong disaster relief to cattle states and supporting new and beginning farmers across the country,” the spokesperson said.