President Trump’s agreement with Argentina to lower tariffs on beef imports is not going over well with some members of Missouri’s congressional delegation.
U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo. 4th District, said in a social media post last week that he “loves” President Trump, but at the same time he called importing more beef from Argentina “misguided.”
“I’ll always stand up for our ranchers and cattlemen—even when it may be uncomfortable,” Alford posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Alford also spoke out against the Argentinian beef deal at a livestock auction in Butler last week. He shot a video at the auction in which he both hosted and acted as a reporter, interviewing people at the auction about high beef prices. Before entering politics, Alford worked as a TV news anchor at WDAF in Kansas City, and before that worked as an anchor and reporter at TV stations in Texas and Florida.
Alford is not the only Missouri Republican at odds with President Trump’s beef deal with Argentina. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley told KMOX Radio in St. Louis last week that it will only hurt cattle farmers. He instead blames meatpackers for the high beef prices in the U.S.
“These meatpackers need to stop acting like monopolies,” Hawley said. “If you want to bring down the price, go after the meatpackers.”
Hawley is also sponsoring a bill to contribute a portion of tax revenue generated by tariffs to struggling farmers.
Back in the House, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. 5th District, is strongly condemning the Argentinian beef agreement in a series of social media posts.
“The president is selling out American farmers and cattlemen to bailout his far-right ally in Argentina,” he posted on X. “How is this America First?”
Cleaver also quoted Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association: “This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices.”
The reaction to the deal was less harsh from U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo. 8th District. In a social media post detailing his “annual Farm Tour,” he said in part that, “purchasing beef from foreign countries won’t meaningfully lower the cost at the grocery store.” But in the same post, Smith praised President Trump’s record on agriculture, calling him “A fighter for rural America.”
“I know he wants to – and will – get these policies right for our farmers,” Smith said. “Already, his administration has reached significant market access deals for beef with the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia with more on the way.”
U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. 7th District, did not mention the import deal with Argentina in a statement released last week. Instead, he criticized the “few, limited number of U.S. meat packers.”
“Southwest Missouri is cattle country, and it is imperative that the government does not manipulate the markets in a way that would directly impact local ranchers who work tirelessly to put quality beef on the table for American families,” Burlison said. “We should be working to pass a bill that allows ranchers to sell cattle to smaller regional processors to encourage market transparency and competition.”
So far, the rest of Missouri’s congressional delegation – Republicans Ann Wagner, Bob Onder, Sam Graves, Eric Schmitt, and Democrat Wesley Bell – have not commented online about the president’s beef import deal with Argentina.
KMOX Radio contributed to this report
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