Trump's Beef Price Probe: A Sizzling Antitrust Investigation

President Donald Trump has drawn a line in the beef industry, accusing meatpacking giants of price manipulation and collusion, and initiating a probe by the Justice Department. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the investigation is underway, managed by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who leads the department's antitrust division.

Although no companies are currently named in the investigation, industry leaders Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS USA, and National Beef Packing Company dominate 85% of the U.S. beef market. Trump's administration has pressed for scrutiny into these beef processors as part of broader concerns about rising food costs competing with inflation.

Consumer watchdogs and political leaders have criticized the consolidation in the beefpacking sector. Amid lawsuits and industry defense claims of transparency, Trump's call for action represents an economic pressure point that previous administrations have also grappled with while voters continue to name cost-of-living as a primary issue.