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1 1 (May 5, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/goveuix0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Argentine Beef Import Quota Expansion May 5, 2026 In February 2026, the average price cattle producers received for their cattle reached a record high. The price increase was in part due to the year-over-year decreases in U.S. cattle inventory, suspended cattle imports from Mexico due to New World Screwworm, and slower pace of U.S. cattle slaughter. The reduction in cattle inventory led to an increase in the retail price of beef across the United States. The U.S. beef cattle supply chain is made up of interconnected links. The supply chain comprises cattle producers that raise beef cattle, processors that slaughter the beef cattle to develop beef products, and entities that sell the beef products to U.S. consumers directly or through intermediaries. Typically, if the price the cattle producer receives for the cattle increases, the price for beef products that U.S. consumers purchase also would increase. This price dynamic may sometimes contribute to entities along the U.S. beef supply chain and U.S. consumers of beef products having different perspectives on policies affecting domestic production of cattle and U.S. beef prices, particularly in periods of rising cattle and U.S. retail beef prices. On February 6, 2026, President Trump issued a proclamation to address the high U.S. beef prices for American consumers by temporarily increasing the volume for the U.S. beeftariff-rate quota (TRQ) for imported Argentine beef Under TRQs, a certain volume of imports enter in-quota and face lower or no duties. Imports that enter outside of the in-quota volume (i.e., out-of-quota) face higher duties. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to regulate foreign commerce and impose tariffs. Congress delegated authority to administer agricultural TRQs to the President, including for beef imports, under Section 404 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (P.L. 103-465, 19 U.S.C. §3601). Additionally, the President may temporarily increase the quantity of imports under the in-quota rate of an agricultural product TRQ if existing supplies are inadequate to meet domestic demand at reasonable prices because of natural disaster, disease, or major national market disruption. The February 2026 proclamation was issued a day after the United States and Argentina signed an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment. The Trump Administration had publicly proposed increasing Argentine imports since October 2025. Several Members of Congress expressed concerns before and after the proclamation announcement. Some Members cited concerns related to Argentina's inconsistent food safety and animal health standards. Other Members expressed concerns about potential destabilization for the U.S. cattle market. In the 119th Congress, the trade title of H.R. 7567, as passed by the House on April 30, 2026, would address President Trump's February 2026 proclamation. The bill would express congressional concerns that the expanded quota is detrimental to U.S. cattle producers and could have a ripple effect throughout the domestic economy affecting feed suppliers, equipment dealers, veterinarians, and other rural businesses. H.R. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12687 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress