RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Questions remain about the terms of the deal President Donald Trump said he had struck to allow ground beef to be imported into the U.S. for sale at below-market prices.
There are concerns from some Republicans that the affordability of everyday products, such as food, could lead to losses for GOP candidates in November’s midterm election. Rising beef prices have followed a dwindling cattle herd in the U.S. following years of drought, high feed costs and herd liquidation.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday that up to 300,000 metric tons of beef can enter the U.S. without being subject to out-of-quota tariffs and that "we have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices."
An "out of quota tariff" is a levy triggered if the amount of a product imported into the U.S. exceeds a certain quantity.
Trump said the aim was to "reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again."
However, it is unclear where the meat was coming from, who would sell it at a cut price and how savings would reach consumers. Trump’s announcement was also criticized by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and senators in states with prominent beef cattle industries.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump was asked about the beef deal on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews as he was on his way to South Carolina for a rally.
In reply to a question about the origin of the meat, Trump replied, "I don’t want to say which countries but there are a few countries" who will be "sending the highest quality beef and it’s something that we need."
The White House said an executive order implementing the plan is expected within two weeks and so there could be more detail when that is announced.
Industry experts noted that the move comes amid record imports of both fresh and frozen beef, almost two-thirds of the former coming from USMCA partners Mexico and Canada, and a big proportion coming from Australia and Brazil.
There are also record shipments this year from Nicaragua, New Zealand and Argentina, whose president Javier Milei, is an ally of Trump. In October 2025, Trump suggested importing more beef from Argentina to lower American beef prices, sparking criticism from producers.
This year, the Trump administration increased the tariff-rate quota for Argentine lean beef trimmings by 80,000 metric tons in February but there is no confirmation that it or any other major beef exporters to the U.S. are part of the plan.
Trump announced there was "a commitment," to see beef at 25 percent below market rates but as yet there are no details of whether this was made by governments, exporters, importers, or companies.
This means that there is uncertainty over whether it is a written agreement with named parties or a policy announcement due to private assurances.
There is a lack of clarity on which beef products will be part of the deal announced by Trump and what the 25 percent figure will apply to.
The USDA publishes market prices for a range of imported beef which includes bull meat, cow meat, and beef trim.
It was reported that Trump secured an agreement with foreign beef exporters to sell beef at the 25 percent discount in exchange for lifting the out-of-quota tariff on lean beef trimmings that will be used for ground beef production, although this has not been confirmed.
American beef producers will want to know whether the discount applies to the price for the imported good, the wholesale beef-trimmings price or the price at the supermarket for shoppers for ground beef.
Trump is framing the deal as benefiting consumers but there are no details yet on whether there will be a public enforcement provision requiring retailers to sell the meat at the discounted price.
Altin Kalo, head economist at Steiner Consulting Group, told CNBC that the impact on prices remains to be seen because imported beef already is trading at a steep discount.
Kalo added that the out-of-quota tariff has not been an issue for importers to this point as a record amount is being imported and that many grocery stores use only fresh ground beef.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said that Trump’s move would not address his stated intention of helping to increase the size of the U.S. beef herd.
The move would "throw cold water on the prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging," NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said in a statement.
PMI Foods President Darin Parker called the decision "merely a short-term solution to ease costs for consumers."
"Underlying supply issues can’t be solved with this kind of Band-Aid approach," he added. "A more durable, structural solution is to incentivize American ranchers to rebuild and expand the domestic herd."
Republican Senator Tim Sheehy, from Montana, said he had advised Trump against this course of action for a year because American ranchers had been struggling against the packer monopoly for decades.
"This will further harm them—most of whom are MAGA Republicans."
Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska, said on X she was "extremely disappointed by this decision" and that "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."
Senator Jerry Moran (Republican, Kansas) posted on X that importing beef below market prices will only put further downward pressure on the livestock sector, "endangering what has been a bright spot in a struggling agriculture industry."
"I urge President Trump to halt this action, listen to ranchers and let the free market work," the post added.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and Robert Greenall
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