Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday that the Trump administration's proposal to temporarily suspend higher tariffs on ground beef imports remains under negotiation, as the plan draws sharp criticism from some Republican lawmakers and industry stakeholders.
Asked by reporters outside the White House about the details of the decision, Rollins demurred, saying, "I am not privy to talk about that." She added that "the conversations are still going on," and that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is "finalizing what exactly that looks like," with President Trump also involved in the process.
The remarks come after Trump announced on Friday that the administration would temporarily pause "out-of-quota" tariffs on up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef, allowing those imports to be sold at 25 percent below market price. The move is intended to address rising domestic beef prices, which the administration attributes to a historically small U.S. cattle herd and an outbreak of New World screwworm.
But the plan has sparked a backlash from within the president's own party. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) said he had advised the administration "against this course of action for a year," warning that it would hurt American ranchers. "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," Sheehy wrote on social media. "And most importantly, this will harm our ranching families who feed the nation."
Trump lashed out at two Republican lawmakers who challenged the plan: former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. Massie called the proposal a "slap in the face to American cattlemen & consumers," and wrote, "Worse than socialism! Dumping foreign beef in U.S. markets can temporarily lower prices but it won't incentivize American farmers to raise more beef. Bring back Country Of Origin Labels & pass my PRIME Act."
Greene echoed that sentiment, accusing the administration of putting "American beef LAST and foreign beef FIRST." She also noted that ranchers have been "hit financially with high cost of fertilizer and diesel from Trump's war with Iran."
Defending the decision before boarding Air Force One on Friday, Trump said it was "what the voters want." Affordability has become a central theme in the upcoming midterm elections, with both parties vowing to address rising costs. "I love the ranchers," Trump told reporters. "They've done a fantastic job, but they admit that we need a little help in order to get the prices down, so that is what we're doing."
The debate over beef imports comes as the administration continues to navigate trade tensions, including a dispute with Canada over Lake Ontario and broader tariff policies that have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and foreign allies alike. Rollins' comments suggest that the final shape of the beef tariff suspension is not yet set, and that the White House is still weighing the political and economic implications.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for additional comment on the timeline and scope of the proposed measure.
