Soto Leads Letter Opposing President Trump’s Decision to Import 300,000 Tons of Tariff-Free Beef

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09) led a letter to President Donald Trump opposing his recent decision to import 300,000 tons of tariff-free beef. 

"American consumers are struggling with the rising cost of groceries and deserve long-term solutions to bring prices under control. Grocery prices as a whole have risen 2.7% in the past year, with strong demand for beef and low inventory leading to price increases for beef products. Flooding the market with beef imports will not solve the long-term issues that led us to this point—it will only harm our nation’s ranchers and jeopardize our long-term goal of building a strong domestic beef industry,” wrote the Members. "American ranchers have faced strong headwinds in recent years. Soaring input costs, droughts, and extreme weather events have left our ranchers with the lowest cattle supply in 75 years”

"Additionally, the ongoing outbreak of New World Screwworm has imposed additional burdens on ranchers as they work to protect their herds. Since June of this year, 46 cases of New World Screwworm have been detected, posing additional economic risks for our ranchers,” continued the Members. "Our ranchers are actively working to rebuild America’s domestic beef industry, using strong demand from American consumers to reinvest in their herds. Our policies must reflect our commitment to the ranchers and producers that feed our country.”

In addition to Rep. Soto, the letter was signed by Reps. Kathy Castor (FL-14), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05). 

For the full text of the bill, please click here. 

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