NCBA Op Ed: Political Climate

NCBA

2020 Election: Cattle Edition

America’s cattle producers have a big decision to make this fall, and while campaigning might look different this election cycle, this year is no less exciting. The policy areas have remained remarkably consistent aside from an obvious increased interest in health policy. The presidential election is important, but equally so are down ballot contests. Historically, agricultural producers have a lot of sway and can move the needle in hard-fought races, like this presidential race. NCBA’s Center for Public Policy in D.C. has put together a comparison of policies that matter to producers and their operations:

Regulatory Policy

Trump/Pence: No other administration has slashed more red tape than the current. Over the course of the last four years, 68 overhauls to environmental regulations were completed, with 32 more in progress. Producers only have to look at recent wins such as a rule to improve the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which was the first comprehensive reform to this environmental law in over 40 years. These NEPA updates make the process more efficient and timelier, putting a twoyear time limit on environmental impact statements that historically have taken up to ten years to complete. The new rule also lays the groundwork for healthy and resilient open spaces and pastureland. Another crucial regulatory win was repealing the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and replacing it with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR). The new rule scales back the reach of the government and, in the case of WOTUS, massive overreach. Reducing burdensome regulations has given power back to producers to control what happens on their operations and not bureaucrats in Washington. The Trump administration has been committed to cutting onerous regulations since day one. Biden/Harris: Former Vice President Joe Biden is a supporter of past regulations and is in favor of increasing regulations on ranchers and farmers. Biden has vowed to undo the Trump Administration’s regulatory wins. In July, Biden said he would make a priority of rolling back the reform of NEPA and NWPR. This would put significant burden back on cattle producers.

Trade Policy

Trump/Pence: President Trump has had extensive trade victories in his first term, inking deals with Japan, China, the European Union, as well as strengthening trade with Canada and Mexico under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMC). Since exports account for added cattle values of $325 per head, these expanded and new markets are important for every segment of the beef supply chain. President Trump has at times been criticized for his hardline stances, but that aggressive posture brought countries to the table and has resulted in multiple trade wins for the U.S beef industry. Biden/Harris: In general, Biden has long been a supporter of free trade and has at times come under fire from more leftleaning lawmakers and organizations because of this. Biden voted for the USMCA predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), when he was in the Senate and was supportive of Former President Barack Obama’s TransPacific Partnership (TPP). Biden’s stance on tradehas historicallybeen beneficial to cattle producers. Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, has a much different stance on trade. She has been outspoken against recent trade deals, voted against USMCA, and was not supportive of TPP. Harris even has gone so far as to say that ifshe had been in office during deliberation over NAFTA, she would have voted against that too. USMCA, andNAFTAbeforeit,benefittheU.S.cattle industry by billions of dollars each year. Her reasoning is that none of these trade deals do enough for the environment and do not address the “climate crisis”.

Climate Policy/Dietary Guidelines

Trump/Pence: The current administration has hailed livestock production as a climate solution, and are working with local governments and ranchers, particularly in the West, to improve grazing regulation on public lands. This will give ranchers more power to make range improvements and reduce wildfires. They understand that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from U.S Beef are 10-50 times lower than other regions of the world, and the U.S. produces 18 percent of the world’s beef with just 8 percent of the world’s cattle. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also released information this year that U.S. cattle production represent only 2 percent of U.S. GHG emissions. Biden/Harris: Biden used to have moderate stances on the environment, but has shifted farther left in the past year. His campaign put out his climate plan that would cost over $2 trillion, a plan Biden said that he would immediately take to Capitol Hill to get passed in to law. His climate plan which is part of his “Build Back Better” agenda has been depicted by news outlets as the Green New Deal in all but name. When Sen. Harris was running for president in the primary, she was the first candidate to endorse the Green New Deal and did so during a national debate. She doubled down on this during a CNN Climate Town Hall in 2019, saying that America should eat less meat and the government should change dietary guidelines to encourage Americans to eat less red meat. Changing dietary guidelines in this way would lend credence to pseudoscientific claims that specifically target cattle producers. Biden did not denounce his running mate’s stance and in a virtual interview with Wired this May, said he is not a vegan but is being pushed by his wife to eat less meat. He continued to say that he does not eat much beef but eats chicken, fish,andlotsoficecream. Vice President Mike Pence responded to Sen. Harris, clearly saying that the Trump administration would never promote limiting beef consumption. True to their word, theadministrationreaffirmedbeef’s important role in a healthy diet in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) this year. Their recommendations were based in science and determined that beef can be a healthy part of American’s diet. During Biden’s time as Vice President the DGAs had recommendations not based in science and not even related to the merits of certain foods, but about sustainability and environmental concerns. The Trump administration stayed disciplined and were laser-focused on the nutritious benefits of beef.

Tax Reform

Trump/Pence: At the end of 2017 Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which was a priority for the President. This legislation made a number of changes to the current tax code that benefit family ranchers and farmers, including the expansion of key provisions livestock producers rely on like cash accounting, bonus depreciation and Section 179. This bill also included temporary relief from the suffocating death tax. TCJA boosted the economy and helped cattle producers’ bottom lines. Biden/Harris: Biden has not hidden the fact that he plans to raise taxes. This includes working to repeal every single tax cut under TCJA. Instead of cutting taxes Biden plans to increase taxes and increase spending as evident in his two trilliondollar Green New Deal-esque climate plan. Sen. Harris backed Biden stating that if elected she will work on day one to increase taxes on Americans. This election might look different, but it is arguably the most important election in history. It is our duty as cattle producers to be informed on the issues that impact us the most and vote. Year after year the American agriculture industry lets its voice be heard, helping decide elections. Whatever the results are in November, you can be certain that NCBA’s Government Affairs team in Washington will fight for your interests and make sure animal agriculture has a seat at the table when decisions are made.

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