Trump takes action to bring down food costs

CHICAGO, February 12, 2026 — President Trump made two moves in rapid succession last week with the intention of bringing down protein costs.

Acknowledging that ground beef prices are at an historic high, the President okayed an 80,000-metric-ton increase in the import of lean trim from Argentina. The inbound meat will not be subject to  tariffs, according to the White House.  

Simultaneously, Trump lifted the restrictions that had prevented American commercial fishermen from plying nearly 5,000 square miles of sea off the coast of New England. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument have been off-limits because of concerns the waters there would be over-fished and ecologically damaged.  

Re-opening the area to commercial fishing by domestic fleets is part of what the White House has termed an America First Fishing Policy. As part of that effort, the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced last fall that it was banning the import of fish from 12 nations because they failed to adhere to the Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). 

NOAA contended that the noncompliance put American fishermen at a cost disadvantage because they incurred the expense of observing the international pact, which aims to sustain seafood stocks. 

The move brought an immediate lawsuit from the legal arm of the National Restaurant Association and other groups representing stakeholder. The consortium contended in the suit that the 12 nations whose imports were blocked provide “the vast majority” of the seafood that is sold in the U.S. food-away-from-home industry. 

The case appears to be still pending.

Trump said in opening the door to more beef from Argentina that the resulting increase in supplies should bring down the price of ground beef. The White House noted that the price of ground beef hit $6.69 a pound in December, the highest price recorded for the meat since the government started tracking the cost in the 1980s.

The Administration’s plan is to accept imports of the 80,000 metric tons in four tranches of 20,000 pounds each. The White House stressed that the import quotas will be raised only temporarily to offset a tight supply of beef within the U.S.  Domestic production has fallen, with herds of beef cattle having been thinned by about 8.6% since 2020 by drought and the reduction of grazing land by wildfires. 

Imports from Mexico, a significant source of the beef consumed in the U.S., have been curtailed by the efforts to contain an outbreak south of the border of a parasite called the New World Screwworm. 

“The President is taking action to strengthen the nation’s supply of affordable beef for American consumers while these challenges persist,” the White House said in a statement.

Trump campaigned during the 2024 election in part on a promise to bring down food prices and harness inflation. Yet menu-price inflation accelerated in December.