Overview
- White House officials confirmed a fourfold expansion of Argentina’s tariff‑rate quota to roughly 80,000 metric tons, casting the move as short‑term consumer relief alongside a new USDA plan to rebuild the U.S. herd.
- At a closed‑door GOP lunch, senators told Vice President JD Vance the plan was an insult to ranchers, while House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith and major cattle groups publicly urged the administration to reverse course.
- Agricultural economists note Argentina accounts for about 2% of U.S. beef imports and supplies mostly lean trimmings for ground beef, suggesting little immediate impact on overall retail prices.
- U.S. cattle futures sank by expanded daily limits as traders priced in higher imports and tighter domestic fundamentals tied to years of drought and the smallest herd in decades.
- USDA outlined longer‑term steps such as expanded grazing access, disaster support, and market options, as lawmakers floated alternatives including stronger meatpacker competition, country‑of‑origin labeling, and directing tariff revenue to producers.