US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said there was no evidence the country’s beef inflation was linked to migrants from South America. In response to a question during an interview about the rise in the price of animal protein amid the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump’s government on imports of the product, he stated that the shortage has to do with immigrants bringing sick livestock to the United States.
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Pisant addressed the issue during a Sunday appearance on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures program. Anchor Maria Bartiromo asked the minister about a recent speech by Nate Rempe, CEO of Omaha Steaks, an American meat brand.
In an interview with the news channel on Friday, the executive stated that red meat prices should continue to rise in the country, and warned that the reduced supply of livestock should prompt Americans to pay US$10 for a pound of ground beef, which is about 450 grams.
In response, the Treasury Secretary attributed the high prices to immigrants from South America who arrived in the United States with cattle infected with the disease.
“These immigrants brought some of their livestock with them. So part of the problem is we had to close the border to Mexican beef because of this disease called screwworm. We’re not going to let that into our supply chain,” Bessent said.
Beef has been weighing heavily on the pockets of American families. The price has risen above average in recent months, with increases of 1.2% in September, 2.7% in August, and 1.5% in July. Besant’s comments were criticized online, as images emerged of cows boarding planes or being thrown over the border wall with Mexico.
Economists attribute these increases to the tariffs imposed by Trump last April, when the president imposed 10% duties on many countries that export products to the United States, including beef, which was not included in the list of exceptions that the White House later issued. In the case of Brazilian meat, taxes also include a 40% surcharge.
High costs of living make residents put pressure on the government. In a tacit admission that tariff policy has put pressure on prices in the United States, Trump on Friday canceled so-called reciprocal tariffs on beef, tomatoes, coffee, bananas, acai and other agricultural products. In the case of Brazil, the 40% surcharge continues to apply.
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