Trump boosts Argentina beef imports to US in affordability push

US President Donald Trump signed a directive on Friday further increasing the amount of beef imported into the US from Argentina, his latest move to address US citizens' concerns about affordability.

The proclamation finalises the terms of a deal the US and Argentina signed on Thursday scrapping hundreds of tariffs and trade barriers on each other’s goods – a major win for Argentina's President Javier Milei, a Trump ally. 

The quota of beef allowed into the US with preferential tariff treatment in 2026 will increase by 80,000 metric tons, according to the proclamation, and will consist of lean trimmings, which are combined with American products to make ground beef.

Trump said in the document that the decision to “temporarily increase” imports is necessary to “increase the supply of ground beef for United States consumers.” 

In total, Argentina will now be allowed to export 100,000 metric tons of beef to the US, according to a statement from Argentina’s Foreign Ministry. The previous quota was 20,000 metric tons before Trump moved last October to quadruple it to 80,000. The latest increase amounts to an extra US$800 million in products, officials estimated.

US beef prices have hit record highs, challenging Trump’s campaign promise to make groceries more affordable ahead. Polls show majorities of US citizens disapproving of the president’s handling of the economy and consumer prices, jeopardising Republicans’ chances of keeping control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. On Friday, Trump also moved to remove Biden-era restrictions on fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Trump’s beef order is likely to help ease prices for ground beef, which have been driven up by tight US supplies and continued demand for the typically affordable product.

Still, the move carries other political and economic risks for Trump. Booming imports have thus far failed to offset a severe domestic cattle shortage that is expected to take years to resolve. The rebuilding of that herd will be necessary to bring down prices of premium products, such as steak. 

Increasing imports even more could anger American farmers, a key segment of the president’s base. Many have said that foreign supplies are undercutting their business.

A coalition of 27 former leaders of US agricultural groups and ex-government officials warned the Trump administration in a letter earlier this week that the president’s policies are damaging American farms and that “substantial action” is needed to change course. 

At the same time, the deal strengthens ties between Trump and Milei, who has sought to bolster ties with Washington while tearing down trade barriers as part of an overhaul of the nation’s beleaguered economy. The overall trade agreement will add to billions of dollars in US financial aid that helped stabilise Argentina’s currency ahead of a crucial midterm vote last year.

Republicans have a firm grip on middle America, which has only tightened during the Trump era. But anxiety among farmers and ranchers could make some districts more competitive, forcing the GOP to spend money and time on races it hadn’t planned to before. 

Last year the administration’s decision to offer a US$20-billion rescue package to the South American nation drew criticism from US farm groups. It coincided with a tariff pause by Milei’s government that spurred a surge in Argentine soybean exports to China – all while the Asian nation had stopped purchases of US soy.

When it was first announced last fall, the plan to import more Argentine beef drew ire from US ranchers and farm-state legislators who said the shipments would threaten the industry. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association conference in Nashville that “nobody in the administration wants to be importing beef.”

“President Trump’s promise to the American people is to drive down the price of groceries and so you have to balance those priorities, but we’re doing everything we can to encourage people to increase the size of the herds in this country,” he said.

The US Department of Agriculture last fall launched a plan to support American ranchers in growing their herds, including by increasing access to grazing land. Still, producers who began reducing herds years ago amid droughts and high input costs are still finding it more favorable to keep selling animals for meat, instead of keeping them for breeding.

The USDA’s latest cattle tally was still at a 75-year low, and the population of beef heifers needed to rebuild the herd only grew a modest one percent. 

Trump also last fall removed tariffs on Brazilian beef in his quest to bring down prices. Most beef in the US is still produced domestically. Higher flows from South America have bolstered the USDA’s 2026 import forecast, though foreign shipments will still account for less than 20 percent of US supplies.