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ICYMI: Bankhead and Alme Stay Silent As “Trump's Beef Import Plan Rankles Montana Farmers”
MISSOULA, MT — In case you missed it, Hungry Horse News reports that President Trump's plan to import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free foreign beef has drawn sharp criticism from Montana ranchers and the Montana Farm Bureau. Independent U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar was the only Senate candidate willing to stand up for them, while his two opponents, Republican Kurt Alme and Democrat Alani Bankhead, didn’t even respond to a request for comment.
“Kurt Alme's silence is the price of admission for staying in the good graces of the D.C. Party Bosses who installed him on the ballot," said Abigail Tracy, spokesperson for the Bodnar campaign. “Alani Bankhead had every chance to speak up for Montana ranchers and chose not to. Montana farmers and ranchers deserve an Independent Voice in the U.S. Senate who will stand up to anyone who puts politics ahead of their livelihood. Democrat or Republican, in Washington or on this ballot, Seth Bodnar didn't hesitate. His opponents didn’t pick up the phone.”
Read the full article here. Below are key excerpts:
Hungry Horse News: "Trump's beef import rankles Montana farmers, Senator"
By Chris Peterson, September 2, 2026
President Trump’s plan to import 300,000 metric tons on tariff-free ground beef into the U.S. has rankled Montana politicians and those running for office [...] Beef prices have surged in the past few years and a good steak in Montana starts at about $11 to $12 a pound and goes up from there.
“Washington, D.C.’s plan to flood our market with 660 million pounds of foreign beef is a short-sighted political stunt that undercuts the Montana ranchers who raise the best beef in the world. As Montana’s Independent voice in the U.S. Senate, I will push to immediately pass the bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act and reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling, because Montana producers deserve a fair shake and consumers deserve to know exactly where their meat is coming from,” Bodnar said in a release. “One thing I’ll never do is bury my head in the sand and abandon Montana ranchers because it’s politically convenient, which is exactly what Kurt Alme is doing right now when he stays silent to appease his political bosses in D.C.”
Senatorial candidates Alani Bankhead, a Democrat, and Kurt Alme, a Republican, did not respond to a request for comment.