Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer Slams Trump’s Argentine Beef Idea

Republican Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska warned President Donald Trump on Tuesday that his proposal for the United States to buy Argentine beef would hurt American cattle producers and fail to lower prices.

“Bottom line: If the goal is to reduce beef prices at the grocery store, this is not the right solution,” Fischer wrote in an X article.

Trump floated the idea over the weekend as a way to lower beef prices, which have soared in the United States this year.

The tentative plan would involve new U.S. investments in Argentina, the South American nation whose faltering economy was recently buoyed by a $20 billion currency swap deal with the Trump administration.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that the United States was considering providing Argentina with an additional $20 billion in financing. Argentine President Javier Milei is a close ally of Trump.

Fischer wrote Tuesday morning that she had contacted the Trump administration to express her “deep concerns” about a possible purchase of Argentine beef.

“I have also sounded the alarm about the grim state of our agricultural economy and the negative impacts facing Nebraska’s agriculture industry, the economic engine of our state,” Fischer wrote.

“Right now, government intervention in the beef market will hurt our livestock producers. The United States has safe and reliable beef, and it is the only bright spot in our struggling agricultural economy,” the senator wrote.

“Nebraska ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them while they are in the process of making progress or simply breaking even,” she wrote.

“I strongly encourage the Trump administration to focus on trade deals that benefit our agricultural producers, not imports that will do more harm than good.”

Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that his administration was “considering closing” the beef deal with Argentina.

“We would buy beef from Argentina,” Trump said. “If we do that, it will drive down the prices of our beef.”

When asked to respond to American farmers who believe the deal would benefit Argentina rather than themselves, Trump was dismissive.

“Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You don’t know that,” he said.

“If I can help them survive in a free world, I happen to like the president of Argentina. I think he’s trying to do his best. But don’t make it look like they’re doing well. They’re dying,” Trump said.

The president’s comments quickly alarmed America’s livestock producers.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said in a statement Monday that its farmers and ranchers “are concerned that rewarding Argentina with this expanded access to the U.S. market will harm American cattlemen and ranchers while interfering with the free market.”

“This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of year for America’s cattle producers, without lowering prices at grocery stores,” NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said in the same statement.

The Trump administration’s financial aid to Buenos Aires had already drawn the ire of U.S. soybean producers, who are reeling from the loss of China as a major customer due to the ongoing trade war with the United States.

China began buying soybeans from Argentina, which reportedly suspended export taxes last month — a move that coincided with Trump’s pledge to help Milei.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, asked Tuesday morning on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” about purchasing Argentine beef, noted that Trump “mentioned it several times.”

“I think you’ll learn more about what exactly that looks like,” she said.

Rollins said the U.S. beef industry has massively consolidated in recent years, leading to the closure of thousands of farms.

“Prices are high. The president is very focused on his promise to keep food prices low, but he’s also very focused, and you’ll hear more maybe in a day or two, about what we’re going to do to incentivize” people to become ranchers, Rollins said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a statement to CNBC, did not directly address Fischer’s concerns about the Argentine proposal.

“While prices of other proteins such as eggs, pork and chicken have declined in recent months, beef prices remain elevated. This is due to the perfect combination of a sustained increase in consumer demand for beef coupled with a prolonged decrease in the supply of live cattle,” a USDA spokesperson said.

“Rebuilding the herd will take time, but Secretary Rollins is committed to reducing risks to livestock producers, providing robust emergency relief to ranching country, and supporting new and beginning ranchers across the country,” the spokesperson said.