(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is adding his voice to the bipartisan chorus of lawmakers who are questioning President Trump’s suggestion to import more beef from Argentina to bring down prices. Reports show U-S consumers are paying more than 50-percent higher prices for beef over the past five years, but Grassley says we need to look within, not outside our nation’s borders, for the solution. “I don’t think we ought to be taking more beef from Argentina and I think the president recognizes that he has a problem doing that,” Grassley says, “and that’s why he had the secretary of agriculture make changes in policy that will increase the production of beef in the United States.” Grassley says he and a half dozen other members of Congress met with Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday, and after that meeting, Grassley says he’s convinced the president has the best interests of beef producers in mind.

“He’s opened up more federal land for grazing, help for setting up smaller meat packing plants so that the four big packers that have 85% of the slaughter, we got more competition,” Grassley says. “We’ll help cattle feeders as well as helping consumers.” The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association issued a statement Wednesday saying Trump’s comments about importing more Argentine beef are “disconcerting,” adding, the president “continues to create undue harm to U.S. cattle producers, inhibiting their ability to make smart marketing decisions that directly impact their long-term profitability.” Grassley says cattle numbers in the U-S are the lowest they’ve been in 75 years and he believes Trump’s long-range plan will “reinvigorate” the cattle industry.

“So instead of eating grass-fed beef from Argentina, which is as tough as leather,” Grassley says, “and we’re going to eat corn-fed beef from the United States of America.” Trump posted Wednesday on social media: “The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil. If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!”