For President Donald Trump, it was a brief comment to reporters aboard Air Force One about his plan to import beef from Argentina. But for dozens of farm-state Republicans — many of whom have kept quiet as Trump’s policies battered their agricultural constituents — it was the final straw.
In the days that followed, GOP lawmakers from cattle-producing states flooded the White House and the Department of Agriculture with calls. Within 48 hours of Trump’s Oct. 19 remark, a small group of Republican senators, including retiring Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, confronted USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in a private meeting.
Despite the pushback, the administration is still moving ahead with its plan to import beef, arguing it will help lower steak and hamburger prices for U.S. consumers and strengthen relations with Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a close Trump ally.
But the uproar has revealed the limits of GOP patience for Trump’s agricultural policies. Some of Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress have watched for months as tariffs and trade restrictions hurt farmers. They recently pleaded for farm offices to reopen during the government shutdown — and now, the “beef beef,” as one Republican senator privately called it, has become “a betrayal of America First principles.”
Even in the Trump-friendly House, prominent Republicans are speaking out.
Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.), along with 11 other Republicans, sent a letter Tuesday to Rollins and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer warning against Trump’s decision.
“We believe strongly that the path to lower prices and stronger competition lies in continued investment at home … rather than policies that advantage foreign competitors,” they wrote.
The discontent has also spilled onto the Senate floor, where Republicans joined Democrats this week in symbolic votes to undo Trump’s global tariffs. Five GOP senators voted Tuesday to reverse 50% tariffs on Brazil; four more voted Wednesday to lift tariffs on Canada. Though the votes are unlikely to have immediate effects, the message was unmistakable.
“Brazil had a trade surplus, and the impetus behind it appears to be a disagreement with a judicial proceeding,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), referring to Trump’s anger over the prosecution of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. “I just don’t think that’s a strong basis for using the trade lever.”
Caught in the middle is Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who has long warned about the economic fallout of tariffs but has largely defended Trump’s trade policies. Agriculture is a cornerstone of South Dakota’s economy, and Thune acknowledged that Trump’s tariffs have taken a toll.
“My views on tariffs are probably slightly different than some of my colleagues,” Thune said. “But I’m always willing to give the president and his team the opportunity — a chance — to get good deals, and hopefully that’s the case.”
Farm-state frustrations are intensifying as Trump prepares to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week in hopes of securing a trade breakthrough. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will soon hear arguments over Trump’s emergency tariff powers — a case that GOP leaders say could reshape future trade authority.
“We want a level playing field. We want better terms for our exporters,” said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), adding that he remains willing to give Trump “time” to negotiate needed deals.
Others are counting on the Supreme Court to rein in Trump’s authority. “Emergencies are like war, famine [and] tornadoes,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), one of Trump’s most vocal critics on tariffs. “Not liking someone’s tariffs is not an emergency. It’s an abuse of the emergency power, and it’s Congress abdicating their traditional role in taxes.”
Still, many Republicans are keeping quiet — torn between their free-trade principles and their loyalty to Trump.
“Where we are right now is, the president has invoked what he says are his emergency powers to implement tariffs unilaterally, and that has been challenged, and the Supreme Court is going to rule on it,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). When asked how sweeping he thought the tariffs should be, he replied, “I don’t have anything for you on that.”
Amid the uproar, Trump has shown little sympathy for ranchers.
“The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week, adding that ranchers “have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!”
That statement — along with confirmation that the administration aims to import four times the usual amount of Argentine beef — only deepened the anger on Capitol Hill. And with Trump abroad this week for meetings with Asian leaders, Vice President JD Vance was left to face senators’ frustration in a closed-door GOP lunch on Tuesday.
“There was almost universal concern,” said one Republican senator, describing how members took turns pressing Vance on the issue.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a longtime Trump ally whose family raises cattle, was among the most forceful critics. She argued that the administration was misplacing blame for rising beef prices.
Pointing out that wholesale cattle prices are down while retail beef prices remain high, Hyde-Smith said the real problem lies with the nation’s large meatpacking companies — not ranchers.
“Ranchers,” Hyde-Smith told Vance, “are not the problem.”
