Jim McGovern pushes back as Brooke Rollins blames Biden for beef prices

Representative Jim McGovern pushed back sharply against Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for blaming the Biden administration for soaring beef prices. In a press conference, Rollins claimed the policies of the previous administration on what she called "hoax" climate change hurt the cattle industry, contributing to the record-high prices. McGovern hit back, pointing out that it had been 16 months since President Donald Trump took over, and the tactic of blaming his predecessor is "getting really old." 

Trump's counselor, Peter Navarro, and Rollins held a press conference on Monday, where they were asked about the soaring beef prices and a timeline of when consumers should see some relief. Rollins swiftly moved to blame the Biden administration for the prices, saying, "As I mentioned, the last administration did everything they could to basically eviscerate the cattle industry." She went on to mention Biden's tightening of grazing allotments or "climate change hoax, craziness," as the primary reasons. Thus, sharing a clip of the press conference on X, McGovern wrote, "Blaming somebody who hasn't been in power for 16 months is getting really old." 

In her response, while Rollins dismissed climate change, she admitted that droughts and wildfires had affected the industry. "The fire they just had was in rural Nebraska, so it didn't get as much press as a lot of these wildfires do, but it was the biggest fire in Nebraska history, the ninth largest in American history, and we're not really talking about it because it was in rural America," Rollins said. She further blamed the significant New World screwworm outbreak moving north from Central America through Mexico, for the reason behind the price increase. "I wish I had a crystal ball and I could tell you we do believe that prices are going to start coming down this summer," Rollins added. 

While the cost of major food staples, like eggs, has plunged over the last year, ground beef prices have remained searingly high. According to the data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis,  ground beef prices were $6.70 a pound in March, up nearly 16% from a year ago, and beef stakes, at $12.73 per pound in March, were also up 16% from a year ago. In 2021, ground beef cost as little as $3.96 a pound, while a decade ago it averaged $3.75.

While a 75-year low cattle widespread drought, and high demand have contributed to the soaring prices, ABC News reported that high inflation and Trump's tariffs have further worsened the situation for ranchers. Meanwhile, the administration has seemingly failed to deliver a coherent plan to bring down the cost of beef. Most recently, the Justice Department confirmed that it is investigating the big four meatpackers of the country for potential antitrust violations in U.S. cattle and beef markets, to find out whether highly concentrated meatpacking power has contributed to high beef prices. The four largest beef processors control over 85% of the market, according to Fox News, and half of them are Brazilian-owned. Rollins tied the probe to broader concerns about food security and shrinking domestic cattle supplies in the country.