Tillis rips ‘political lawfare’ and praises grand jury after Dems avoid charges in ‘illegal orders’ case
A Senate Republican known for breaking with the Trump administration praised a grand jury’s decision not to indict several congressional Democrats who urged service members to refuse what they described as “illegal orders.” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., applauded a Washington, D.C., grand jury’s decision to reject an indictment against six congressional Democrats who last year called on service members to refuse what they characterized as illegal orders under the Trump administration. “Political lawfare waged by either side undermines America’s criminal justice system, which is the gold standard of the world,” Tillis said in a post on X. “Thankfully in this instance, a jury saw the attempted indictments for what they really were. Political lawfare is not normal, not acceptable, and needs to stop.” GRAND JURY REJECTS DOJ EFFORT TO INDICT DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS WHO URGED MILITARY TO DEFY ILLEGAL ORDERS It’s not the first time Tillis has bucked the administration. He has placed holds on future Homeland Security nominees, pledged to block President Donald Trump’s pick to replace outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and has been a vocal critic of the president’s advisors, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital, sought to bring criminal charges against Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., along with Reps. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Jason Crow, D-Colo., Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa. The group of Democrats — all of whom previously served in the military or as intelligence officers — last year said service members could “refuse illegal orders” and “must refuse illegal orders,” arguing that troops are not required to carry out commands they believe violate the Constitution. DEM SENATOR SAYS SHE’S UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OVER ‘UNLAWFUL ORDERS’ VIDEO Service members are obligated to follow lawful orders from their superiors, but they may refuse orders deemed illegal, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the military justice system enacted in 1951. Their video prompted Trump to accuse the group of seditious behavior “PUNISHABLE BY DEATH” in a fiery Truth Social post. GRAHAM DEMANDS DEMOCRATS EXPLAIN ‘REFUSE ILLEGAL ORDERS’ MESSAGE TO TROOPS After the grand jury declined to indict them, the lawmakers praised the decision. “Donald Trump wants every American to be too scared to speak out against him,” Kelly said in a statement. “The most patriotic thing any of us can do is not back down.” Slotkin added that no matter what comes next from the administration in its pursuit of legal recourse, “tonight we can score one for the Constitution, our freedom of speech, and the rule of law.” Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back from Pirro’s office for comment.
Pelosi endorses JFK’s grandson in Democratic House primary
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., endorsed Jack Schlossberg — the grandson of the late President John F. Kennedy — who is running for Congress in New York’s 12th Congressional District. “This moment calls for leaders who understand the stakes and how to deliver for the people they serve. Jack Schlossberg is that kind of leader— a candidate for Congress we are all excited about, and someone I am proud to endorse,” Pelosi said in part of a lengthy statement that Schlossberg posted on X. “Jack possesses a unique ability to navigate the digital and the classical political worlds in ways that can get things done for people — and hold President Trump accountable. Those skills are critical right now, and they are also quite rare,” she asserted. JFK’S GRANDSON JACK SCHLOSSBERG DOUBLES DOWN ON ATTACKS AGAINST RFK JR, WARNS OF ‘DANGEROUS’ AGENDA Schlossberg lavished praise on Pelosi when sharing her statement of the endorsement. “Speaker Pelosi is a national hero and master legislator — I’m proud to have her support. She’s the backbone of the Democratic Party — no one understands Congress like she does,” he noted in the post on X. CAMELOT OR CRINGE?: MEET JFK’S GRANDSON TURNED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE FOR THE SCROLLING GENERATION “I sat down with her, told her about our campaign and policy plans for NY12. She believes we can win,” he added. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., currently represents the district but announced last year that he will not seek re-election. Pelosi also announced last year that she will not run for re-election. NANCY PELOSI SWIPES AT TRUMP, ACCUSING HIM OF CROWNING HIMSELF AS ‘KING’ Some of the other candidates running in the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District include state Assemblymembers Micah Lasher and Alex Bores, as well as George Conway, the ex-husband of Kellyanne Conway, who served as senior counselor to the president during much of President Donald Trump’s first term.
Mexican cartel drones breach US airspace, are disabled by War Department, Duffy says
Drones operated by Mexican drug cartels breached American airspace and were soon disabled by the U.S. military, the Trump administration announced Wednesday. The breach took place near El Paso International Airport in Texas, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily close the airport late Tuesday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the breach and lifted the airspace restriction on Wednesday. “The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion,” Duffy announced in a statement on X, referring to the Department of War. “The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.” “The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming,” he added. CARTEL DRONES POSE ‘DANGEROUS’ DRUG TRAFFICKING RISK IN BORDER STATE, OFFICIAL WARNS He did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them. The FAA’s initial announcement had said the El Paso airport would be closed for a period of 10 days, which would have been unprecedented for a U.S. city. The FAA had cited “special security reasons” for the initial closure. El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000 people and larger when including the surrounding metro area, is a hub of cross-border commerce alongside the neighboring city of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. The brief closure did not include Mexican airspace. US MILITARY STRIKES NARCO-TERRORIST VESSELS IN LATEST EASTERN PACIFIC DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATION Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, had urged the FAA to lift the restrictions in a statement Wednesday morning. There was no advance notice given to her office, the city of El Paso or airport operations, she said. “The highly consequential decision by FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has resulted in significant concern within the community,” Escobar said. “From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.” The incident came the same day that the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a warning about a “fake memo circulating online and through media outlets announcing temporary 10-day road closures in the El Paso area.” “This is a fake memo, and DPS is NOT closing the major highways – or any roads – in or out of the area over the next 10 days,” DPS said in a statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bondi faces grilling in House Judiciary Committee hearing over Epstein files, weaponization allegations
Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, where lawmakers are expected to confront her over the Department of Justice’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case files, numerous high-profile, politically charged indictments and broader structural changes at the department. The hearing, beginning at 10 a.m., marks Bondi’s first appearance before the House panel since taking the helm of the DOJ. While some Republicans are likely to praise Bondi for shifting the department’s focus to street crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, Democrats and other Republicans have signaled they will grill her on the department’s attempts to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law that required the DOJ to publish all unclassified files related to Epstein’s case. LAPSED EPSTEIN DEADLINE UNDERSCORES CHALLENGE OF REVIEWING TROVES OF FILES IN 30 DAYS Republicans on the committee may highlight the DOJ’s efforts to combat transnational drug trafficking and the opioid epidemic, as well as violent crime and immigration, which the Trump administration has made clear are its top priorities. In the most prominent of the drug cases brought during Bondi’s tenure, the DOJ brought a superseding indictment against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, alleging narco-terrorism conspiracy and firearms charges. After his stunning capture last month, Maduro and his wife were brought to the Southern District of New York and are being detained there as they await trial. Bondi could be forced to address upheaval in the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, where a weeks-long surge in immigration enforcement has bogged down the federal court there and led to an exodus of prosecutors. TOP MINNESOTA FEDERAL PROSECUTORS OFFICIALLY TERMINATED AFTER DISPUTE OVER DOJ SHOOTING PROBE Several recent controversial judicial developments are also likely to surface during the hearing, as the administration has faced hundreds of adverse rulings in the lower courts, including from some Trump-appointed judges. Federal judges in Minnesota have put a spotlight on what they view as legal problems with the way the administration has detained alleged illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, other judges have rejected several of Trump’s choices to lead the country’s 94 U.S. attorney’s offices. A federal judge ruled, for instance, that the interim appointment of Lindsey Halligan, who was leading the U.S. attorney’s office in Eastern Virginia, was unlawful. The move derailed the DOJ’s high-profile indictments of FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, leading a judge to toss out the cases. The DOJ is now appealing them.
‘GOP’ House candidate admits she’s actually a progressive in viral video: ‘Telling people the truth’
A video is going viral of a congressional candidate in North Carolina admitting she is truly a “progressive” even though she is running as a Republican. “Are you trying to trick people?” Katie Barr, who is running in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, was asked on a podcast called “The Hometown Holler.” “If you go on the campaign website, above the fold as they call it, is like, ‘I’m not a real Republican.’ Like, I am telling people the truth. I knock on a door and say, ‘I am running in the Republican primary, but I am not a Republican, I am a progressive,’” Barr responded. “I can’t claim a Democrat anymore.” She added that her goal is not “to pull a fast one,” claiming she is just “being dead honest with people about what I would do if I win.” SUSAN COLLINS SHRUGS OFF ATTACKS BY DEMOCRATS AND TRUMP, SAYS MAINE VOTERS ‘DON’T VOTE PARTY LINE’ On Nov. 6, Barr filed paperwork to challenge incumbent Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., to represent the state’s 14th Congressional District. Barr states on her website’s home page that she is running as a Republican because it’s “the only way to kick these corrupt cowards out of office.” She claims that Republicans have “rigged the maps” to ensure they will come out victors “every time.” “The general election has already been decided. So – the primary is the only competition for this job,” Barr’s website explains. FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS Barr reiterated that she has been “honest” about who she is and how she plans to govern “from the start” in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Tim Moore is terrible for the voters of district 14,” Barr continued. “He’s getting rich off of his position while voters struggle. And Tim rigged this district to make sure he’d stay in office despite it all. That’s wrong. I’m running so voters have a real choice.” While Barr has faced criticism online over her maneuver, with critics calling the move cheating and describing it as shameful, at least one conservative critic doesn’t think it is as big of a deal as some are making it out to be. “I hate to burst the outrage bubble, but she’s not making a big secret out of this. It’s her whole schtick, and it’s front and center on her campaign website,” said Second Amendment activist Cam Edwards, on X, in response to the viral video of Barr.
Vance warns Iran that ‘another option on the table’ if nuclear deal not reached
Vice President JD Vance warned Iran that there is “another option on the table” if the regime does not make a nuclear deal with the U.S. Vance made the statement while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force Two on Tuesday. A reporter referenced President Donald Trump‘s musings about potentially deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. “How confident are you in going the diplomatic route? Do you think that is still going to be successful or are we leaning more towards a military strike?” the reporter asked. “The president has told his entire senior team that we should be trying to cut a deal that ensures the Iranians don’t have nuclear weapons,” Vance responded. TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE IN HIGH-STAKES TALKS ON IRAN, GAZA PLAN “But if we can’t cut that deal, then there’s another option on the table. So I think the president is going to continue to preserve his options. He’s going to have a lot of options because we have the most powerful military in the world. But until the president tells us to stop, we’re going to engage in these conversations and try to reach a good outcome through negotiation,” he continued. Vance went on to downplay pushes for regime change in Iran, saying a removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s regime would be up to “the Iranian people.” He said the Trump administration’s only focus is preventing the current Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. NIKKI HALEY URGES TRUMP TO MAKE IRAN ACTION A ‘LEGACY-DEFINING MOMENT’ BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE Vance’s comments come a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, with Iran expected to take center stage in the meeting. In a phone interview with Axios, the president said Tehran “very much wants to reach a deal,” but warned, “Either we make a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough — like last time.” IRAN PUSHES FOR FRIDAY NUCLEAR TALKS IN OMAN AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US FORCES: SOURCE Netanyahu, speaking before departing Israel for Washington, said he intends to present Israel’s position. “I will present to the president our concept regarding the principles of the negotiations — the essential principles that are important not only to Israel but to anyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” he told reporters. U.S. and Iranian officials resumed talks in Oman this week for the first time since last summer’s 12-day war. The United States continues to maintain a significant military presence in the Gulf, a posture widely viewed as both deterrence and for holding leverage in negotiations with Tehran.
Pritzker joins chorus of Dem governors boycotting White House dinner after snub ignites ‘chaos’
A chorus of Democratic governors are rallying behind their fellow Democratic Governors Jared Polis, from Colorado, and Wes Moore, from Maryland, after they did not receive invites for a traditionally bipartisan White House dinner. Illinois Democrat Governor JB Pritzker was among those who decided they would be boycotting the slate of events hosted at the White House for the National Governors Association’s annual winter gathering held Feb. 19–21. “No way will I attend the White House dinner with this President,” Gov. Pritzker said Tuesday. “I’m standing with Gov. Wes Moore and Gov. Jared Polis — and standing against Trump’s corruption and hatred. And I’m calling on my Republican colleagues to do the same.” The boycott is being led by the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and its vice chair, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Other Democratic Party governors who have committed to the boycott include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. A coalition of 18 governors signed a statement Tuesday slamming President Donald Trump for creating “chaos and division” by snubbing the state leaders. GOP MUTINY FORCES HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON TO DELAY VOTE ON KEY PIECE OF TRUMP’S AGENDA The White House reportedly decided to divert from the traditional path of inviting both Republican and Democratic governors to the events being held at the White House. Although a White House official also reportedly told Politico that “many Democrats were invited to dinner at the White House” while others were not. The move not to invite all Democrat governors to the winter gathering comes after President Trump got into a public spat with Democrat Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, at a bipartisan “Governors Working Session” last year in February over transgender sports participation. The heated back-and-forth was televised on national stations for all to see and led to the pair exchanging barbs for the subsequent weeks over the matter and over the state’s unwillingness to follow federal orders, such as those related to transgender sports participation. When reached for comment on the matter, a White House spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s comments Tuesday on the matter from the White House briefing room, during which she defended President Trump’s decision to not invite the Democratic Party governors. “I just spoke with the president about this. It is a dinner at the White House. It’s the people’s house. It’s also the president’s home, and so he can invite whomever he wants to dinners and events here at the White House,” Leavitt told reporters from the White House briefing room Tuesday. FAR-LEFT NONPROFITS IN THE HOT SEAT AS LAWMAKER EXPOSES THEM FOR ‘SOWING CHAOS’ IN US She added that Gov. Moore had been invited the previous year, but never ended up coming. “Nobody reported on it. But, again, the president has the discretion to invite whomever he wants to the White House, and he welcomes all those who received an invitation to come and if they don’t want to that’s their loss.” During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Moore suggested his lack of an invite was due to race, telling the show it was “not lost” on him that he is the only Black governor in the country and the president was trying to deny him attendance at an organization’s event that Moore said his fellow Democrat governors have said they would like to see him lead. Moore also pointed to the fact he led a delegation of governors to the White House several weeks ago. In a statement, Brandon Tatum, CEO of the National Governors Association (NGA), said he was “disappointed in the administration’s decision.” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who is the chairman of the NGA, said in a Monday letter to fellow governors that the association was “no longer serving as the facilitator” for the upcoming event, according to The Associated Press. Stitt said the NGA was meant to represent all governors — those of the 50 states as well as the governors of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
GOP lawmaker shocked after anti-ICE sheriff was stumped by ‘fifth-grade civics’ question
North Carolina Republican state Rep. Allen Chesser said he was taken by surprise when a Democratic sheriff who has long opposed cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not answer a basic question about how the government works. A North Carolina House Oversight Committee hearing spurred on by the recent killing of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, in Charlotte, took an unexpected turn when Chesser asked Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, “What branch of government do you operate under?” McFadden, who is the top law enforcement officer in the county where Zarutska was killed, simply answered, “Mecklenburg County,” prompting Chesser to repeat, “What branch of government do you operate under, sheriff?” The sheriff answered, “The Constitution of the United States,” to which Chesser responded, “That is what establishes the branches of government; I’m asking what branch you fall under.” After McFadden answered, “Mecklenburg County” again, Chesser remarked, “This is not where I was anticipating getting stuck. Um, are you aware of how many branches of government there are?” The sheriff quickly shot back, “No.” CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS After a long pause, Chesser continued, “For the sake of debate, let’s say there are three branches of government: legislative, executive, judicial. Of those three, which do you fall under?” The sheriff answered, “I believe I fall under the last one … judicial.” “You are incorrect, sir. You fall under the executive,” said Chesser. After that, Chesser continued to press McFadden about how he reconciles his responsibility as an officer under the executive branch to enforce the law with his opposition to cooperation with ICE. Chesser asked McFadden how he reconciled his responsibility with a previous statement in which the sheriff said, “We do not have a role in enforcement whatsoever, we do not have to follow the rules and the laws that are governed by our lawmakers in Raleigh.” The sheriff said that Chesser was taking his quote out of context, saying it was strictly in reference to immigration enforcement. Though declining to offer more context on the statement, McFadden affirmed his office is now abiding by state law requiring cooperation with ICE, saying, “We follow the law, when the law is produced, we follow the law.” HOUSE DEM EXPLODES ON TOP TRUMP IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, SAYS HE ‘BETTER HOPE’ FOR PARDON FROM PRESIDENT In an interview with Fox News Digital the day after the hearing, Chesser, who is an Army veteran and former police officer, said that, “Obviously, those weren’t the cache of questions that I was thinking we were going to get him on.” “I had several statements that he had made to the media and to the local press and in different interviews that kind of conflicted with some of the testimony that he provided yesterday about following the law. We made it to [only] one of those statements because we got held up on what I thought was baseline, just kind of setting a baseline of how we were to establish that his role is to enforce the law,” he explained, adding, “I was not expecting to have to get into a fifth-grade civics lesson with a duly elected sheriff.” He said that McFadden has “decided to make himself kind of a centerpiece in the refusal to enforce immigration law here in North Carolina,” adding, “It’s not so much the refusal to enforce immigration law, but it’s the refusal to enforce state law that says he must cooperate with ICE and ICE detainers when people are in custody in his facilities.” WHO IS IRYNA ZARUTSKA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE KILLED IN CHARLOTTE TRAIN ATTACK? “Last summer, we had the unfortunate death of a young Ukrainian national that had sought refuge in our country and in our state,” Chesser went on. “I think that all North Carolinians, and all people who find themselves in North Carolina, should be able to count on one thing when it comes to public safety, and that is whether or not you are safe and whether or not the law will be enforced is not dependent on what county you find yourself in.” “North Carolina is a safe state for all the people who choose to come here, and that is the point of the Oversight Committee [hearing] that we were having was, making sure that the law is equally applied and fairly applied across all imaginary lines in our state,” he said. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
MTG calls Trump’s endorsement of Salazar ‘an insult to his base’
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed President Donald Trump’s endorsement record again after he backed Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida for re-election. “She supports illegals more than most democrats. His endorsements are an insult to his base,” Greene wrote Tuesday in a post on X. Salazar fired back at Greene on Wednesday morning. EX-TRUMP ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RIPS THE PRESIDENT’S ENDORSEMENTS, SAYING THEY ‘SOLIDIFY THE SWAMP’ “Marjorie, you’re starting to sound like Laura Loomer. Not telling the truth. And you know it,” the Salazar wrote in a post on X. “It’s DIGNITY, not AMNESTY. I’ll say it again: dignity, not amnesty, even for the people working in your own construction company. YOU said it yourself: “We cannot be rounding up every single person and deporting them.” So which is it? I don’t shift my message depending on the audience. I stay consistent. I miss our conversations in Congress,” the lawmaker added. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesman Davis Ingle asserted, “President Trump is the unequivocal leader of the Republican party. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a quitter.” In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the president praised Salazar, backing her for re-election as the GOP aims to retain its majority in both chambers of Congress during the 2026 midterms. “Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar is doing a truly fantastic job representing the wonderful people of Florida’s 27th Congressional District!” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post. “María Elvira Salazar has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” The incumbent congresswoman, who has served in the House of Representatives since early 2021, thanked the president for his support. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PRESSED TO CLOSE CUBA EMBARGO LOOPHOLE WITH OIL SET TO RUN OUT WITHIN DAYS “Thank you, President Trump @POTUS, for your support. I will continue to proudly represent FL-27 in Congress and fight for what our community deserves,” she wrote in a post on X, listing five points: “Restore dignity and order to our immigration system,” “Codify strong, permanent border security,” “Drive down housing costs so Miami families can stay and thrive,” “Protect American jobs and keep our economy strong” and “Confronting socialism, communism, and dictators head-on while defending freedom across our hemisphere.” “Miami is the ultimate melting pot, a city built by those who came here seeking liberty, opportunity, and a chance to start again. I know their story because it’s my story. In Congress, I will keep delivering results, standing firm on our values, and working to ensure opportunity and prosperity remain within reach for all,” she added. Greene, a longtime staunch Trump ally who left office early last month after a bitter falling out with the president last year, slammed Trump’s endorsement track record in January, asserting in a post on X, “Trump’s endorsements do not drain the swamp, his endorsements solidify the swamp and ensure the swamp is never drained.” TRUMP MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN CONTEST TO FILL HOUSE SEAT VACATED BY EX-ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE White House spokesman Davis Ingle pushed back in a statement to Fox News Digital at the time. “President Trump’s unmatched coalition building ability has led to the most successful Republican Party in American history which has delivered more long-held GOP priorities under his leadership than either party has achieved for their voters in many combined decades prior. President Trump knows politics is a game of addition, and Marjorie ‘Quitter’ Greene just lives a reductive, self-defeating life of subtraction,” Ingle said.
The surprising reason why Americans could face high beef prices for years
Beef prices are soaring — and economists warn Americans shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon, as the U.S. cattle herd shrinks to its smallest size in 75 years. The massive decrease in cattle numbers has been caused by years of drought, soaring costs and an aging ranching workforce. Agricultural economists and ranchers alike say rebuilding herds will take years, meaning beef prices aren’t likely to ease anytime soon. “The biggest thing has been drought,” said Eric Belasco, head of the agricultural economics department at Montana State University. Years of dry weather have wiped out grasslands across the West and Plains, leaving ranchers without enough feed or water to sustain their herds. Many have been forced to sell cattle early, even the cows needed to produce the next generation of calves, making it difficult to rebuild America’s herds. THE COST OF THIS GROCERY STAPLE IS NEARING RECORD HIGHS — AND AMERICANS CAN’T GET ENOUGH Data from the Kansas City Federal Reserve found that with each incremental increase in drought severity, cattle-producing regions see about a 12% drop in hay production, a 5% rise in hay prices, a 1% reduction in herd size and a 4% decline in farm income. That slow recovery isn’t just economic — it’s biological, according to Derrell Peel, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. “The fact of the matter is there’s really nothing anybody can do to change this very quickly,” Peel said. “We’re in a tight supply situation that took several years to develop, and it’ll take several years to get out of it.” Peel, who specializes in livestock marketing, said it takes roughly two years to bring cattle to market and several years to rebuild herds — leaving little room for short-term relief. THE SINGLE CRUSHING PROBLEM AMERICAN CATTLE RANCHERS WISH TRUMP WOULD FIX INSTEAD And once herds shrink, the loss is hard to reverse. That reality is unfolding deep in ranch country. Cole Bolton, owner of K&C Cattle Company, whose pastures stretch along the soft edge of the Texas Hill Country, said the cattle industry is still in the early stages of recovery. “I think it’s going to take a while to fix this crisis that we’re in with the cattle shortage,” Bolton told Fox News Digital. “My message to consumers is simple: folks, be patient. We’ve got to build back our herds.” About 1,000 miles away, Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattleman in Bluffton, Georgia, said the ripple effects of the shrinking cattle herd are now landing squarely on consumers. “The American cattle herd is smaller than it has been since the 1950s and that contraction has pushed beef prices to historic highs. Demand is strong, but domestic supply simply isn’t meeting it and that gap is being felt most by consumers,” said Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the average price of beef in grocery stores climbed from about $8.40 per pound in March to $10.10 per pound by December 2025, a roughly 20% increase. IN TEXAS CATTLE COUNTRY, ONE RANCHER WELCOMES TRUMP’S FOCUS ON DECADES OF THIN MARGINS Despite rising prices, Americans haven’t blinked. In 2025, shoppers spent more than $45 billion on beef, buying more than 6.2 billion pounds, according to data from Beef Research, a contractor for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Spending jumped about 12% from a year earlier, while the amount of beef sold rose more than 4% — a sign consumers aren’t just paying more, they’re buying more. The revelation comes as President Donald Trump temporarily expands beef imports from Argentina to blunt high grocery prices, while also laying out longer-term plans to bolster the U.S. cattle industry. While imports could ease pressure at the grocery store in the short term, ranchers and economists alike say they are no substitutes for rebuilding the domestic cattle supply.