McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A letter sent by over a dozen GOP lawmakers questions the “long-term fairness” by the Trump administration to allow Argentina to quadruple its exports of beef to the United States at a time when Texas and other U.S. cattle ranchers are struggling, Border Report has learned.
The letter was sent Monday by 14 Republican lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, of Irving, Texas, according to the letter obtained by Border Report.
The letter calls to question the safety of importing $200 million worth of Argentinian beef into American markets from what they say is a country with a “history of foot-and-mouth disease,” as well as the “fairness” of this type of trade agreement to the American cattle industry.
“The recently announced plan to expand imports of Argentine beef as a means of easing retail prices. While we share the Administration’s goal of lowering costs for consumers, we are concerned that granting additional market access to Argentina — already one of our largest beef suppliers — will undermine American cattle producers, weaken our position in ongoing
trade negotiations, and reintroduce avoidable animal-health risks,” the letter says.
The lawmakers say that although Argentina exports $200 million of beef annually to the United States, they only purchase less than $2 million worth of U.S. beef.
“This persistent imbalance, combined with Argentina’s continued tariffs on U.S. beef and its documented history of foot-and-mouth disease, raises serious questions about reciprocity, safety, and long-term fairness,” they write.
No Democratic lawmakers were part of the letter.
However, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who represents South Texas, and sits on the House Appropriations Committee, told Border Report that he also has serious concerns about importing so much beef from Argentina and how will affect the Texas cattle industry.
He says this comes as the United States is also sending $40 billion in economic relief to Argentina.
“It’s a double whammy, $40 billion bailout to Argentina, which, you know, depends a lot on cattle. They’re increasing the amount of imported Argentinian meat into the U.S. while our cattle people are hurting. You talk to anybody that’s in the cattle industry and they’re angry. They’re not happy,” Cuellar told Border Report this week.
The price of American beef has gone up because “the tariffs that we’re putting on things for feed and fertilizers and inspecting for the cattle raisers,” Cuellar says. “So they’re hurting, and markets have been cut off because we’ve put tariffs on things coming in. But the problem is that the U.S. sent $40 billion of a bailout to Argentina and in return they’re allowing four times the amount of meat imports from Argentina coming in.”
In regards to Argentinian trade, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday posted on X: “President Trump’s policy of Peace through Economic Strength is going to transform Latin America, and I look forward to visiting Argentina again very soon.”
Meat imports from Mexico have been banned for several months due to the threat of New World screwworm, which has been detected in Mexico.
The deadly parasite has been spotted 70 miles from the South Texas border in northern Mexico.
Officials say that also has led to the increase in prices of American beef.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at [email protected].
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