Big beef: GOP pushback grows over Trump’s call to buy beef from Argentina

By Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, CNN

(CNN) — Todd Armstrong, the owner of a 200-year-old family cattle and crops farm in Indiana, voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 but feels abandoned by the president now for suggesting a deal for the US to buy beef from Argentina.

“What frustrates me about this whole move is President Trump ran on an ‘America First’ program. I don’t see anything in this that puts America first,” Armstrong told CNN. “It’s hypocritical.”

It’s stories from farmers like Armstrong that have come into Rep. Erin Houchin’s office.

“I’ve heard concerns from constituents,” Houchin, a Republican, said in a statement to CNN. “For now, this remains only a suggestion from President Trump.”

And it has Republicans on Capitol Hill frantically raising alarm bells with the White House and even the president directly. The potential for such a move is testing the support of one of Trump’s most loyal group of supporters as his policies could risk their livelihoods. The unfolding episode also marks a rare moment on Capitol Hill where many Republicans are publicly breaking with the president and demanding he reverse course.

It’s a topic that has dominated the conversation with Trump — from Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, who told CNN he has spoken “extensively” to the president on the issu, on down to freshmen like Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana. And the issue was raised by GOP senators in a private meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

“What we’re hearing from Montana ranchers and American ranchers and farmers generally is, ‘Give us a chance to do this with American products, with American producers first, before we turn to foreign markets’,” Sheehy told CNN.

A handful of House Republicans led by GOP Rep. Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota also sent a letter directly to Trump asking for more details and clarity.

Speaker Mike Johnson shared that House Republicans raised concerns about the Argentina beef proposal on their private call Tuesday and said GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, who represents a lot of cattle ranchers, has been connected with administration officials and the office of the United States trade representative.

“They’re having those thoughtful discussions,” Johnson said at a press conference Wednesday. “The White House doesn’t want any unintended consequences. What they’re trying to do is improve the lives of everyday Americans, make our economy work again, and make sure that we are treated fairly by trading partners around the world.”

The concerns from prominent Republicans on Capitol Hill come after Trump recently suggested he’s considering a deal to purchase beef from the economically struggling Argentina.

“We would buy some beef from Argentina. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down,” Trump said. “The one thing that’s kept up is beef. And if we buy some beef, I’m not talking about that much from Argentina, it would help Argentina, which we consider a very good country.”

The president of the US Cattlemen’s Association, Justin Tupper, told CNN his phone has been ringing off the hook from cattle ranchers across the country since Trump floated the idea on Sunday. He’s spoken with Thune’s staff and has sent a letter to the president requesting a meeting to urge him not to buy more beef from Argentina.

American farmers have been having a tough year in no small part because of Trump’s trade war. Farmers across the country have been issuing increasingly urgent warnings that they’ll face grim consequences if they don’t get help selling this year’s bumper crop that many have begun harvesting. The White House is gearing up to extend farmers a multi-billion-dollar bailout, but that has yet to materialize. And farmers are warning that Trump’s idea of buying Argentinian beef to try and lower consumer prices could make matters worse.

“Beef cattle were the only thing that’s keeping us afloat. If the prices drop, it’s going to affect us right now. It’s going to affect generations to come,” Randy Roberts, a beef and crop producer in Indiana, told CNN. “It will be hard for younger generations to get into the cattle business.”

Even as criticisms from Republicans to the idea of the US buying Argentinian beef are pouring in, some are hopeful that the idea ultimately does not come to fruition.

GOP Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska, who represents a significant number of cattle feeding operations in his district, said he has been told by Trump administration officials that the president is being briefed on the issue and taking it seriously.

“I’m hesitant to suggest this is anything but a blip on the radar because there’s no real identified plan,” Flood told CNN. “That said it is something we are paying very close attention to, and I am going to work every day on behalf of Nebraska farmers and ranchers. I prioritize Nebraska farmers and ranchers. I will stand up for farmers and ranchers. Right now, I’m expressing concern about anything that’s disrupting our beef market in America.”

Already, the pushback to the administration’s proposal online has been fierce.

Meriwether Farms, a Wyoming based beef company, called Trump out directly in a social media post.

“Dear @POTUS Trump, we love you and support you— but your suggestion to buy beef from Argentina to stabilize beef prices would be an absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher,” the post reads.

The blowback mounted quickly after Trump floated the idea for a deal to purchase beef from Argentina.

Even amid growing opposition, the president appeared to double down on his position Wednesday, posting on Truth Social that cattle ranchers don’t understand why they are “doing so well,” citing his tariff policy.

“It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!” Trump posted.

Later in the day, the president argued again that his administration’s tariff policies have greatly benefited US cattle ranchers.

“I helped them a lot,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “I put tariffs on things coming in to the country, including beef, and that gave them a chance to finally have a decent industry.”

The president added that he’s now trying to balance aiding the industry with bringing down consumer beef prices.

“They’ve been able to have an industry, but I also want to keep the beef prices low,” Trump said. “We’re going to do something very quickly and easily on beef to get it down.”

Trump is planning to speak with ranchers about the initiative, he said, though he didn’t specify which groups within the beef industry he planned to hear from.

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CNN’s Ted Barrett, DJ Judd and Adam Cancryn contributed to this report.