New Mexico Democratic Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan are among the senators who have signed a letter urging the Trump administration to back away from its plan to increase beef imports from Argentina.
Heinrich stated in a press release on Tuesday that he, Lujan and 14 other Democratic senators sent a letter to U.S Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer calling on the administration to reverse course on opening the U.S. to more Argentinian beef.
“This announcement has already had tangible market impacts felt by cattle producers across the country, at a time when cattle producers are looking for long-term stability to rebuild their herds. Rather than reward Argentina’s president and agricultural producers, we encourage you to focus on policies that support American farmers and ranchers and that bring down costs for all Americans,” according to the letter.
According to data from the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the price of a pound of ground beef was $6.32 in September, an increase of $0.74 per pound from October 2024 and up from $5.45 per pound in January when Trump took office.
Heinrich said in the press release that the planned influx of beef imports comes at a time when ranchers are already facing lower herds and a series of challenges ranging from tariffs to market consolidation to the outbreak of the New World Screwworm, all of which have contributed to the leap in prices.
The senators also warned that a boost in imports could further impede U.S. livestock production and have far-reaching implications for rural economies.
Instead, the letter encourages the Trump administration to roll back its broad-based tariffs and implement targeted tariffs and other measures they say will level the playing field for U.S. producers and lower beef prices.
Last week, Heinrich cosponsored legislation led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma.) blocking the Trump administration’s plan to send $20,000,000,000 to Argentina to bail out their economy while federal workers go without paychecks and American prices rise. That bill, sponsored only by Democrats, is not expected to be scheduled for action.