3 months ago
9
McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- A missive sent by implicit a twelve GOP lawmakers questions the "long-term fairness” by the Trump medication to let Argentina to quadruple its exports of beef to the United States astatine a clip erstwhile Texas and different U.S. cattle ranchers are struggling, Border Report has learned.
The missive was sent Monday by 14 Republican lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, of Irving, Texas, according to the missive obtained by Border Report.
The missive calls to question the information of importing $200 cardinal worthy of Argentinian beef into American markets from what they accidental is simply a state with a "history of foot-and-mouth disease," arsenic good arsenic the "fairness" of this benignant of commercialized statement to the American cattle industry.
"The precocious announced program to grow imports of Argentine beef arsenic a means of easing retail prices. While we stock the Administration’s extremity of lowering costs for consumers, we are acrophobic that granting further marketplace entree to Argentina -- already 1 of our largest beef suppliers -- volition undermine American cattle producers, weaken our presumption successful ongoing
trade negotiations, and reintroduce avoidable animal-health risks," the missive says.
The lawmakers accidental that though Argentina exports $200 cardinal of beef annually to the United States, they lone acquisition little than $2 cardinal worthy of U.S. beef.
"This persistent imbalance, combined with Argentina’s continued tariffs connected U.S. beef and its documented past of foot-and-mouth disease, raises superior questions astir reciprocity, safety, and semipermanent fairness," they write.
No Democratic lawmakers were portion of the letter.
However, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who represents South Texas, and sits connected the House Appropriations Committee, told Border Report that helium besides has superior concerns astir importing truthful overmuch beef from Argentina and however volition impact the Texas cattle industry.
He says this comes arsenic the United States is besides sending $40 cardinal successful economical alleviation to Argentina.
"It's a treble whammy, $40 cardinal bailout to Argentina, which, you know, depends a batch connected cattle. They're expanding the magnitude of imported Argentinian nutrient into the U.S. portion our cattle radical are hurting. You speech to anybody that's successful the cattle manufacture and they're angry. They're not happy," Cuellar told Border Report this week.
The terms of American beef has gone up due to the fact that "the tariffs that we're putting connected things for provender and fertilizers and inspecting for the cattle raisers," Cuellar says. "So they're hurting, and markets person been chopped disconnected due to the fact that we've enactment tariffs connected things coming in. But the occupation is that the U.S. sent $40 cardinal of a bailout to Argentina and successful instrumentality they're allowing 4 times the magnitude of nutrient imports from Argentina coming in."
In regards to Argentinian trade, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent connected Thursday posted connected X: "President Trump's argumentation of Peace done Economic Strength is going to alteration Latin America, and I look guardant to visiting Argentina again precise soon."
Meat imports from Mexico person been banned for respective months owed to the menace of New World screwworm, which has been detected successful Mexico.
The deadly parasite has been spotted 70 miles from the South Texas borderline successful bluish Mexico.
Officials accidental that besides has led to the summation successful prices of American beef.
Sandra Sanchez tin beryllium reached astatine SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
