Grassley: Trump has come around to ‘realistic way’ of helping American ranchers

As multiple cattle groups and several U.S. lawmakers expressed concern about President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to purchase beef from Argentina, Republican Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he believes the president is acting in the best interest of American beef producers.

Trump on Sunday said the potential purchase from Argentina would help lower the price of beef for American consumers, but cattle groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, argue it creates more uncertainty and could make it more difficult for them to compete.

Grassley did not directly comment on Trump’s proposal to purchase beef from Argentina during a press call with reporters Wednesday, but said he believes the president is helping U.S. beef producers in several ways.

“He (Trump) has come around to the realistic way of helping beef producers by what he announced today or yesterday, that he was going to open up more land for grazing and that he was going to help in the building more beef packing,” Grassley told reporters.

According to POLITICO, Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is among a group of senators either meeting with the United State Department of Agriculture or making calls to the president to share their concerns with the proposed purchase of Argentine beef.

On Tuesday, eight House Republicans also sent a letter to the White House asking for more information on the decision, according to NBC.

In July, the USDA projected that U.S. beef production would decline by 4 percent this year. At the same time, the average price of a pound of ground beef continues to rise, hitting $6.63 per pound in August, up over 17 percent compared to a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The USDA on Wednesday announced a slate of actions to help American beef producers by making the markets “less volatile for ranchers over the long term,” which includes expanding grazing on federal lands and encouraging schools and other institutions that participate in USDA Child Nutrition Programs to serve beef in program meals.

“America’s food supply chain is a national security priority for the Trump Administration,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a press release on Wednesday. “We are committed to ensuring the American people have an affordable source of protein and that America’s ranchers have a strong economic environment where they can continue to operate for generations to come.”

Extending USDA aid, federal program funding during the shutdown

Grassley applauded the Trump administration’s efforts to extend funding for some government programs during the ongoing government shutdown, while blaming Democrats, as the parties are locked in a stalemate over health care funding.

As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week with no end in sight, multiple federal programs are set to run out of funding in the coming weeks, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Grassley urged congressional Democrats to vote to pass a continuing resolution.

“Shutdowns hurt everyone, especially the most vulnerable. If the shutdown continues, 131,000 Iowa families, I want to repeat that 131,000 Iowa families could lose their food stamps,” Grassley told reporters. “Democrats are holding the American people hostage for unrelated policy issues today.”

Earlier this month, Trump allocated $300 million in tariff revenue to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children program to help keep it afloat during the government shutdown, according to the Associated Press. But that assistance is temporary, as funding for both WIC and SNAP could dry up starting Nov. 1 if the government shutdown continues.

Iowa HHS alerted Iowa SNAP recipients last week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees the program, directed all states not to issue November benefits if the government shutdown continues into next month.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services said the state has stepped in to provide short-term funding for WIC.

Grassley also praised the USDA’s reopening of roughly 2,100 offices across the country Wednesday, which will resume services including processing farm loans, crop insurance and disaster aid.

“President Trump has also acted to help family farmers for being harmed by the Democrat shutdown,” Grassley said.

Gazette Deputy Des Moines Bureau Chief Tom Barton contributed to this report.