Jon Tester: “I first want to express my appreciation to the good Senator from South Dakota, Senator Rounds. You know, Senator Rounds…”

“I first want to express my appreciation to the good Senator from South Dakota, Senator Rounds. You know, Senator Rounds comes from South Dakota, and I come from Montana. These are both States where we raise a lot of beef. If you come from a State like that, you understand how catastrophic lifting the ban on Paraguayan beef is. It is not a good idea. In our States, lifting this ban is not supported by Democrats, and it is not supported by Republicans. The reason is pretty simple. The impacts that lifting this ban have on operations--ranching operations--and on our food security is real, and it is very, very, very serious. This Congressional Review Act vote that we are going to take--the second one in this order--will overturn the Biden administration's decision to lift that longstanding ban on beef imports from Paraguay. The truth is, the administration butchered this decision. I have serious concerns if Paraguay does not currently meet the animal health standards that are in place to warrant access to our markets. Congress must step in and stop this decision in order to protect the American producer and the American consumer. Our ranchers in this country--I like to say our Montana ranchers-- raise the best beef in the world. In fact, there is a bumper sticker that says, ``Montana makes beef, and beef makes Montana,'' and that is a fact. And it is true all over this country.…”