A growing number of Republican lawmakers are breaking ranks with President Donald Trump — this time over a controversial decision that many say puts foreign interests ahead of hardworking American ranchers.
During a fiery CNN interview, Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) didn’t hold back his frustration with the White House’s new trade policy allowing a flood of Argentine beef imports into the United States.
“I stand behind our beef producers here,” Alford said. “We do not need more imports from Argentina.”
The administration announced this week it will quadruple the amount of Argentine beef allowed into the U.S. each year — roughly 80,000 metric tons annually — at reduced tariff rates. Officials claim the move will help lower grocery prices for consumers already feeling the squeeze of inflation.
But Alford isn’t convinced.
“I was down there last year,” he said. “Their beef isn’t that great. I’ll take a Missouri or Kansas City strip any day over an Argentine steak.”
President Trump defended the plan on Truth Social, reminding supporters that his tariffs on foreign beef helped ranchers thrive in his first term.
“The consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!” he wrote.
Still, the decision has rattled many in Trump’s own party, particularly from cattle states like Montana, Nebraska, and Texas.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) said he personally confronted Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins about the issue, while Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) warned that America’s ranchers have had “the rug pulled out from under them.”
Across the heartland, anger is boiling over. Major ranching groups — including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and R-CALF USA — say the new policy could devastate local producers, weaken food security, and reward foreign competitors.
“You can’t have America First if our beef comes from Argentina,” one Nebraska rancher wrote online.
The issue cuts deep with older Americans who’ve spent decades watching Washington trade away U.S. jobs, farms, and family businesses in the name of globalization. And now, as grocery prices soar and cattle herds shrink, many see this as the wrong move at the wrong time.
🇺🇸 Bottom Line
While President Trump insists the beef imports will help lower costs for consumers, critics within his own party warn it’s a dangerous gamble that could betray rural America — the very heart of his political base.