Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Tuesday that President Donald Trump should stay focused on the America First agenda he campaigned on, rather than directing billions toward helping foreign nations such as Argentina.
Massie, a libertarian-leaning conservative who frequently butts heads with Trump, told “Rob Schmitt Tonight” he supports Argentine President Javier Milei’s free-market reforms but warned that U.S. involvement in South America risks repeating old interventionist mistakes.
“I want to see Milei succeed — he’s the closest thing to a libertarian they have down there,” Massie said.
“But we have to keep America first. I think the $40 billion bailout is a little too much,” he added.
The administration has so far approved $20 billion in financial assistance to Argentina through a Treasury-backed currency-swap line, with an additional $20 billion in outside financing under consideration, bringing the potential total to $40 billion.
Massie also criticized Trump’s recent proposal to import Argentine beef as a way to lower supermarket prices in the U.S.
“The president put himself on the other side of our farmers when he said we’re going to bring a bunch of beef from Argentina,” Massie said.
Massie, himself a cattle farmer, said the plan could hurt American ranchers already facing high feed costs and tight profit margins.
“Farmers need to see a decent price for their cattle in the United States for the supply to expand here,” he said.
“[Trump] makes it sound like he’ll bring the price of beef down in the supermarket, but the reality is, the solution he’s proposing for Argentina is not a good solution for Americans.”
Trump has defended his outreach to Argentina as part of a broader strategy to strengthen ties with pro-market allies and counter China’s growing influence in South America.
The White House has also suggested that U.S. purchases of Argentine beef could help offset Chinese imports while giving American consumers relief from high food prices.
But Massie warned that global entanglements often start small.
“The president ran on an America First agenda and Make America Great Again,” he said.
“MAGA doesn’t stand for ‘Make Argentina Great Again.’
“Every president, when they get in there, they are tempted by the State Department and other actors into getting involved around the globe.
“It’s one of those things if things aren’t going well domestically, you can look overseas for problems to solve, but I think we should be solving our own problems.”
Massie added that restoring country-of-origin labeling on meat imports would let consumers decide for themselves, while protecting domestic producers without subsidies or market manipulation.
“I’m not against a free market importing beef from Argentina, but let people know where it’s coming from, and certainly don’t subsidize it,” he said.
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