1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

Stop Trump's proposal to let farmers slaughter and process their own meat outside of USDA-inspected facilities. This isn't a fix for consolidation in the beef industry — it's a food safety disaster dressed up as reform. Even the National Cattlemen's Beef Association came out against it, warning that weakening federal inspection standards would put at risk "the gold standard food safety system" that American consumers have trusted for generations. The monopoly problem in beef processing is real. Four companies control 85 percent of the market, and that deserves a serious response. But the answer isn't scrapping the inspection system that keeps contaminated meat off our plates. The USDA already directed $60 million toward small and regional processors — that's the kind of targeted solution that actually builds competition without gambling with public health. Trump's Truth Social announcement, apparently inspired by a Glenn Beck interview, is not policy. It's a short-term political stunt that will make Americans sick.