Meat

A 90-Day Waiver on Beef Tariffs Won't Rescue America's Cattle Industry

It will take more than three months to fix the problems plaguing the American beef industry.

Tosin Akintola | 8.27.2026 2:54 PM

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American ranchers have beef with the Trump administration. 

Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he would allow imports of "up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef" above the volume limit of the U.S. beef tariff-rate quota system without any tariffs for 90 days. The proposal has drawn the ire of cattlemen, farmers, and lawmakers alike.

In a protectionist bid to preserve her state's share of the American beef industry, Sen. Deb Fischer (R–Neb.) said she was "extremely disappointed" with the plan. Similarly, Sen. John Barrasso (R–Wyo.) said Americans "want U.S. beef on the table—not foreign imports," while Sen. Tim Sheehy (R–Mont.) admitted that while the president's "heart is in the right place," his plan will "make it more difficult for American ranchers to rebuild our herd and bring prices down for the American people."

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