State lawmakers react to beef tariff decision

Some Mississippi lawmakers are giving some slight pushback on the Trump administration’s plan to suspend tariffs on ground beef imports. That would allow up to 300,000 pounds of beef to be imported tariff free.

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a former state agriculture commissioner, says Mississippi farmers should not be asked to absorb the cost of cheaper imports, and that she’s been to the White House to express her concerns with the move.

Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann says the administration’s focus should be on lowering costs for ranchers and choosing U.S. beef first. He says the current move is not a way to lower prices for Mississippi families.