Some Republican lawmakers skewer Trump's beef imports, slam Canada trade war

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A growing number of lawmakers are pushing back on a pair of trade-related decisions President Donald Trump has announced in recent days, including his move to allow more foreign beef into the United States along with an escalating tariff fight with Canada .

Republican congressmen from cattle states warn that the new tariffs from Canada could raise prices for American consumers and that Trump's beef plan could harm American ranchers. All of this is coming as the midterm elections are less than three months away and Republicans are under pressure over the cost of living.

Lawmakers from farm states say Trump is favoring foreign beef over American ranchers

Trump's announcement that he would temporarily lift tariffs on imported ground beef raised alarms with many Republicans from agricultural states who argued that while there is a need to lower grocery prices, this decision does it at the expense of American ranchers.

Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer who is a cattle rancher herself posted on X 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."

Another close Trump ally, Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy, also criticized the administration's decision and said he even advised against it.

"I’ve advised President Trump against this course of action 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,” Sen. Sheehy posted on social media.

"... 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."

GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas called Trump's action "ill-advised."

"Beef prices are too high for a simple reason: Our cattle herd is too small. Imported beef below market prices will only put more pressure on our cattlemen. I have advised the President against this ill-advised action in the past and I now urge him to reconsider. We need to support our cattlemen, grow the herd, and let the market work," Cotton said in a social media post over the weekend.

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who is running for Senate and received Trump's endorsement in the race, called the move "a bad idea."

"I want to lower prices but this is a bad idea. Iowa cattle producers raise the highest quality beef in the world. They've faced tough market conditions for years, and increasing beef imports would lead to more uncertainty and instability for our farmers," Hinson wrote in a post on X.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who spoke with reporters at the Capitol on Monday, slammed the administration for causing an issue related to affordability so close to the midterms.

"If you think that providing subsidized beef for some period of time is going to make farmers happy and prices go down on a systemic basis, you’re wrong. Doesn’t happen," the North Carolina Republican said.

"We’ve got 71 days and right now we don't have a positive message to tell farm country," he added.

The White House said that the president has "repeatedly affirmed his support for America’s ranchers and farmers."

"While the Administration will be easing tariffs on beef imports to address a short-term supply crunch, the Administration is simultaneously working closely with ranchers to grow America’s cattle-herd size, which is currently at a multi-decade low," White House spokesman Kush Desai wrote in a statement.

Lawmakers react to uncertainty amid fluctuating Canada negotiations

As trade talks with Canada broke down after months of negotiations, leaders on both sides of the border have escalated their attacks, threatening to raise tariffs on goods coming into their respective country -- garnering pushback from lawmakers who have close economic ties with Canada.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is running for reelection in Maine, argued the retaliatory tariffs will mean higher costs for families. Collins has been an ardent opponent of Trump’s Canada tariffs in the past.

"The on-again/off-again trade talks between the U.S. and Canada lead to higher costs, risk, and uncertainty for Maine businesses. If the Administration proceeds with these tariffs, they will increase costs for Maine families, as most businesses will have no choice but to pass on the tariffs to their customers through higher prices," she wrote in a post on X.

Yet despite her opposition, Trump's threats are now becoming a campaign talking point as Democratic challengers attempt to tie their Republican opponent to Trump's policies.

Collins' Democratic challenger Troy Jackson called the tariffs a "direct tax on working families."

"Having spent most of my life working along the border, I know how vital trade with Canada is to Maine. Trump’s tariffs are a direct tax on working families," ABC News has reached out to the White House for reaction to the Republicans' comments.

And in Michigan, a state that has a robust trading partnership with Canada, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said Republican Rep. Mike Rogers would be a "rubber stamp" for Trump in the Senate as Rogers has largely defended the president's trade strategy, arguing that economic pressure on Canada is necessary to protect American jobs.

"Trump is escalating a trade war with Canada for his own vanity," El-Sayed wrote in a social media post. "Even before this new round, Canadian tariffs were costing Michigan families an additional $3,200 a year. It’s going to get much worse."

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