Virginia governor beefs with Trump over meat subsidy scheme

Democrat Abigail Spanberger met with farmers and industry members to raise the alarm about the president's beef import scheme and discuss other issues farmers face.TROUTVILLE, Va. — Deep in rural Virginia on Tuesday, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger joined cattle farmers to oppose President Donald Trump’s plan to lower meat prices through subsidies for imported ground beef.The event, held at Williamson Farms in Botetourt County, which voted 72% for Trump in 2024, followed Trump’s Aug. 21 announcement on his social media app Truth Social.“Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families. As everyone knows, under President Biden, beef prices soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history,” Trump posted. “This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”The policy, slated to last 90 days starting Tuesday, authorizes the import of 300,000 metric tons of ground beef with no out-of-quota tariff. According to Trump, the government will subsidize 25% of beef costs for consumers. Spanberger sent a letter opposing the policy to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Aug. 24, saying the plan undercuts U.S. farmers who are already struggling to build up their herds.“I can’t even begin to vocalize what an affront that is to Virginia agriculture,” the Democrat said. “At a time when agriculture is already difficult, when you’re already seeing farm closures, whether it’s in Virginia or other parts of the country, where there’s already continued impacts because of rising input costs and fuel costs and all the rest to say then ’the results of all these impacts have been higher costs at the grocery store so we’re going to flood the market with more than 660 million pounds of foreign produced beef, and then we’re going to subsidize it with taxpayer dollars’ is just outrageous.”Representatives from the Virginia Farm Bureau and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association joined Spanberger in urging the USDA to reconsider.“The beef industry, the cattle industry are two dynamic markets. They’re true supply and demand, and unlike a lot of commodity markets, and I hope I don’t step on anybody’s toes here, they’re not subsidized,” National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Gene Copenhaver said. “They are true supply and demand, and we want to keep it that way.”Virginia Cattlemen’s Association President Bill McDonald echoed the sentiment.“This is an attack and abomination on free enterprise of capitalist society, and we have to see this for what it is,” McDonald said. “Every citizen should be able to understand that.”According to the governor, Virginia is home to 21,000 cattle producers responsible for 575,000 beef cows, making beef cattle the state’s second-largest commodity. The industry added more than $712 million to the state’s economy in 2024.Trump did not make clear what countries the beef will come from. The USDA estimates the United States will import 6.1 billion pounds of beef this year, a 14% increase from 2025. The top importers of beef from January to June were Brazil, Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand, with Argentina and Paraguay also exporting significant amounts.The subsidy plan comes as Trump and Republican lawmakers seek to retain power in Congress ahead of the midterm elections, where higher consumer prices are a particular concern for voters. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of a pound of ground beef was $6.89 in July compared with $4.39 in July 2021.Farmers gathered to speak with Spanberger in a roundtable discussion about why America’s national herd is at its lowest level in 75 years. Input costs are top of mind as tariffs and inflation have increased prices for feed and equipment. Worry also comes as Trump continues his trade war with Canada, Virginia’s largest agricultural customer. Trump has yet to place tariffs on beef exported to Canada.“They are the largest buyer of Virginia agricultural products, and so whatever they do in the retaliatory sense will impact Virginia agriculture,” Spanberger said.Nick McNeil, a cattle farmer from Montgomery County, also warned of shrinking farmland as more and more farmers sell property for development, including industrial solar and data center projects.“Our farm acreage is going down every day,” McNeil said. “A lot of young people want to get into it; they just can’t find the land.”Drought has also dwindled the nation’s herd as farmers have less grass and hay to feed their cattle. Spanberger told farmers her office would soon announce a plan to help with the hay shortage.More details on Trump’s import scheme are expected in the coming week. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads