President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday to temporarily pause tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef, drawing sharp criticism from ranchers and Republican politicians who say the move will undercut domestic producers.

Trump defended the decision as a consumer relief measure. "We want to get the beef prices down, so we will get them down a little bit," Trump said. "And that's what people want. That's what the voters want, and that's what I want."

The proclamation removes duties from 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings for 90 days. The administration said suppliers have agreed to sell the imported beef at a 25 percent discount below current market prices.

Walter Schweitzer, president of the Montana Farmers Union and a black Angus cattle rancher near Geyser, said cheap imports will undercut struggling American producers and weaken the domestic industry. "I know nothing more than anyone, because we haven't seen the plan," Schweitzer said. "We haven't seen anything in writing."

Schweitzer estimated that 300,000 additional tons represents only a 2 to 3 percent increase over total U.S. beef supply. He argued that without mandatory country of origin labeling, ground beef prices for consumers will not fall. Multinational packers, he said, will import beef from plants in Mexico, Brazil and elsewhere, mix it with domestic product in burger plants, label it as USDA-inspected, and sell it at prevailing U.S. prices.

Ground beef prices have risen nearly 75 percent since 2021 as the U.S. cattle herd reached its smallest size in 75 years. Schweitzer acknowledged high consumer demand but noted the U.S. beef supply chain holds more beef than it did five years ago. Almost 30 percent of total U.S. beef supply is imported, he said, a fact he attributed to the absence of country of origin labeling.

Trump told reporters, "We're doing it in a very limited fashion," seeking to downplay the initiative's impact. He reiterated that the deal would reduce prices for Americans while providing space for domestic beef producers.