Trump sparks rare Republican backlash over Argentine beef imports

More than a dozen Republican members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer expressing concern about the Trump administration’s plan to increase imports of Argentine beef.

“We urge the Administration to ensure that any adjustment in Argentina’s tariff-rate quota or inspection regime depends on verified equivalence and reciprocal access for U.S. beef,” the letter stated, signed by House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith and 13 other lawmakers.

The letter notes that the legislators “share the Administration’s goal of lowering costs for consumers,” but warn that increasing Argentine beef imports could harm U.S. cattle producers, weaken the country’s position in trade negotiations, and “reintroduce avoidable animal-health risks.”