Schumer Statement After Trump Administration Heeds His Calls To Investigate Big Beef Monopoly, Calls On Trump To Break Up Big Beef And Lower Grocery Costs

Schumer Has Led Senate Democrats In Pressing The Administration To Crack Down On Meatpacking Consolidation, Foreign-Controlled Corporate Giants, And Price-Gouging That Raises Costs For Families And Squeezes Ranchers

Schumer: If Trump Is Serious About Lowering Grocery Prices, He Should Break Up Big Beef — Not Just Hold Another Press Conference

New York, N.Y. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released the following statement after the Trump administration announced that the Justice Department investigation into beef processors would continue:

“Big Beef has families over a barrel, ranchers by the throat, and prices through the roof. That’s exactly why I pushed this year to break up the beef monopoly, crack down on foreign-controlled meatpacking giants, and restore real competition to lower costs at the grocery store.

“Donald Trump promised to lower grocery prices on Day One. Instead, beef prices are still sky-high, families are still getting squeezed, and his administration is only now catching up to the problem Senate Democrats have been pushing to solve.

“An investigation alone will not lower prices. Families need relief at the meat counter. Ranchers need a fair shot. Workers need security. And America needs a food supply chain that is not controlled by a handful of corporate giants.”

“If President Trump is serious about lowering grocery costs, he should stop playing catch-up and back my legislation to break up the beef monopoly, rein in foreign-controlled meatpackers, and restore real competition. Anything less is just more talk while families keep paying the price.”

In March, Leader Schumer led Senate Democrats in introducing the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act, a sweeping competition, pro-farmer, pro-rancher, pro-worker, pro-consumer, cost-of-living bill to break up Big Beef’s grip on the market, crack down on foreign-controlled corporate giants, and use all available tools to stop unfair pricing that drives up grocery bills for American families. The legislation is designed to deliver what families, farmers, ranchers, and workers actually need: more competition, fairer prices for producers, stronger and more resilient supply chains, and lower costs and better choices at the meat counter.

This landmark legislation built on a Senate Democratic roundtable led by Leader Schumer this spring that highlighted President Trump’s broken promises to bring down the cost of everyday items, including grocery prices, and focused on real solutions to bring real relief to American families.

In February, Schumer (D-NY) also urged Agriculture Secretary Rollins, Treasury Secretary Bessent, and Attorney General Bondi to take immediate action to address the growing control that foreign corporations, including those tied to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other adversaries, have over America’s food supply. Leader Schumer slammed the administration for ignoring how acquisitions, market concentration, and other tactics used by foreign corporations affect American consumers, farmers, and ranchers, from higher prices at the grocery store to higher costs of doing business. This included a demand for the administration to bring enforcement actions under the Clayton Act, Sherman Act, and the Packers and Stockyards Act against corporations like JBS in meat processing.

Schumer has also pushed the Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to exercise her authority under Section 203 of the Packers and Stockyards Act to block the proposed closure of the Tyson Foods beef processing facility in Lexington, Nebraska, which would save thousands of jobs and prevent beef prices from surging further for consumers.

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