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AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is speaking out against a proposal from President Donald Trump to increase beef imports from Argentina to help lower prices for consumers.
“We’re going to buy some beef from Argentina,” Trump told reporters while traveling on Air Force One last weekend. “And if we do that, it’s going to bring down our beef prices.” This proposal could more than quadruple the amount of beef imported from Argentina to the United States.
Ranchers across Texas and the United States have expressed concerns about the proposal, fearing it would eat into their profits as they face higher costs.
Miller said he had a “disagreement” with President Trump over how to lower beef prices. Thursday, Miller released his own five-point planwith the goal of helping Texas ranchers and producers while also moving to lower prices.
Miller said higher beef prices are due to a lower supply of cattle, which is at its lowest level in 75 years. One priority on his list is creating a tax credit similar to the child tax credit, but with calves instead. Calves are young cows that have not yet given birth.
“These cow-calf producers are making very good money. They could actually use the tax credit. Eliminate the taxes directly on them. That would encourage them, and they would start raising calves right away, and that would rebuild our herds,” Miller said.
Another point in Miller’s plan is to import live cattle from Mexico instead of “beef in a box” from Argentina. Miller claims that doing this would lower beef prices “overnight”, but the matter is complicated by the threat posed by the new global screwworm, a parasite that eats the flesh of cattle.
Strict quarantine measures will prevent the spread of the parasite, Miller said.
“Before any cattle are imported, they go into a quarantine pen,” Miller explained. “American veterinarians have to check every one of them. You can give a dose of Dictomax or Ivermectin, which are anti-parasitic drugs. It will kill any screwworms, if they are infected. There is practically no chance of bringing in an animal with a screwworm infection.”
Cooper Little, executive director of the Texas Independent Cattlemen’s Association, said his organization does not support that point in Miller’s plan because of the amount of devastation the parasite could cause if it reached north of the border, as it did in the 20th century.
“Protecting the herd is a big thing the government can do for Texas ranchers, at this point, especially if you’re worried about rising beef prices,” Little said. “Let screwworm cross the border and then see how much beef prices go up.”
Election officials investigate potential noncitizens registered to vote
The Texas Secretary of State’s office announced Monday that it has identified 2,724 potential noncitizens registered to vote in the state using data from a federal database.
The list of potential noncitizens was sent to county election officials last week who are now responsible for verifying the eligibility of those voters, according to election law. Seven counties had more than 100 of these potential noncitizens on their voter registration list. These counties include:
- Colin – 109
- El Paso – 165
- Pixar – 201
- Dallas – 277
- Harris – 362
- Hidalgo – 149
- Tarrant – 145
Texas election lawCounty election officials must notify these potential noncitizens in writing that their voter registration is at risk of being revoked and provide proof of eligibility, he said. That person has 30 days to respond before being removed from the voter registration list. A person can be reinstated immediately after a revocation if they provide proof of citizenship to the elections office or polling site.
The Coast Guard launched new patrols on the Rio Grande, and a plan for new border buoys was announced
The Rio Grande region is witnessing increasing militarization as the Trump administration seeks to fulfill its campaign promise to secure the border.
Perhaps the most important signal of increased security is the deployment of the Coast Guard to the Rio Grande. The deployment, titled Operation River Wall, includes an increase of 100 Coast Guard boats.
Border Report reporter Sandra Sanchez covered the beginning of the spread. She notes that the Coast Guard’s increased presence is a way for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to boost the image of the Coast Guard, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
“They are really trying to show that they have superior maritime border security skills, and they want to use them to defend the border.”
Sanchez also reported on a new plan to add more giant buoys as barriers on the Rio Grande. On Wednesday, US Customs and Border Protection confirmed the plan.
The new buoy barriers will total 80 miles and include 17 miles from Brownsville, Texas, to the Gulf; And two other chains, 23 miles long and 40 miles long, are in the Border Patrol’s Del Rio Sector, near the border cities of Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Texas.
The flotation devices are similar to those placed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in 2023 in the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas. However, this state-funded chain was only 1,000 feet long, cost comparatively less at $1 million, and all orange buoys are 4 feet wide.
The announcement comes days after signs were placed on various types of buoys, warning that a large area of the Rio Grande River is now a military zone. Warning buoys were recently placed in the water, months after the Department of Defense declared that 250 miles along the Rio Grande in the border counties of Hidalgo and Cameron in South Texas are now national defense zones.
“Anyone who crosses into this area could face a six-month prison sentence and a $100,000 fine,” Sanchez said. “It really ups the ante there.”
Texans could lose SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues
Texans are starting to sound the alarm regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP) benefits.
“SNAP benefits will not be issued for November if the federal government shutdown continues beyond October 27.”Texas Department of State Health Services websiteHe said.
While the website states that Medicaid, WIC, TANF and CHIP benefits will not be affected, the 3.7 million Texans (about 11% of the population) who rely on SNAP to pay for groceries will be the first to feel the full and most direct effects of the federal shutdown.
Food banks are also preparing for an influx of clients, already bearing an additional burden.
“We have already seen a 35% increase in reliance on our services,” said Sari Watzke, president and CEO of the Central Texas Food Bank. “In the 21 counties served by the Central Texas Food Bank alone, we have about 127,000 families relying on SNAP assistance. Assuming the average family receives about $400 per month, we are looking at a shortfall of about $51 million per month.”
Currently, most food banks serve in a supporting role to SNAP but not as a replacement.
“[For] For every 10 meals a low-income person gets, nine are from SNAP and one is from the food bank, said Michael Guerra, chief philanthropy officer at the San Antonio Food Bank.[SNAP benefits expiring] Maybe it means we’ll just have to ration. We are distributing food now because there are more needs than one food, but if we have a need for two, three [or] Four times what we normally serve, we wouldn’t be able to scale that fast.