Wyoming’s Hageman brings MCOOL bill
Reps. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025 in the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 24, 2025. The legislation would restore mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef.
To say that cattle industry news has been wild this past week would be an understatement. President Trump’s teaser that he would lower beef prices, and then his statement to the press announcing he will strike a deal with Argentina brought the concept of “imported beef” to the forefront of conversations on social media platforms and across legacy media, salebarn coffee shops, and in memes galore.
Hageman told TSLN that she has been working on this issue for years, and pointed out that she introduced an MCOOL bill in the 118th Congress. If timing truly is “everything,” Hageman’s bill comes at a time when America’s thoughts are turned to beef and cattle, and the origin of the beef.
“What has happened over this past week has highlighted why the MCOOL bill is so important for ag producers,” said Hageman.
She believes consumers have turned their attention to beef and its origins, and she said the conversations had over the past week have helped in “ferreting out” what is going on with the domestic beef supply.
“The timing has been quite helpful. You take advantage of a situation and you move forward. I do believe we have strong support in the House and Senate, and this administration is a strong supporter of our agricultural and specifically our cattle industries,” said Hageman.
“People need to remember that we already have a trade agreement in place with Argentina. We have already been importing beef from that country,” she said, pointing out that her bill will give consumers the information they need to choose to buy U.S. beef or Argentine beef.
While producers are jumpy about comments from the administration and the reaction on the board, Hageman assures Americans that President Trump and his cabinet don’t intend to sell out the U.S. producer.
“Everyone needs to take a deep breath and I think everything will be ok. With the conversations I’ve had, and understanding what the administration is trying to do, I think there will be additional information coming out,” she said.
“This administration is a very strong supporter of our cattle and ag industries,” she said.
“I do truly believe that when the President talks about America first, he’s talking about our cattle producers, too,” she said.
Her bill is bi-partisan, because democrats and republicans alike acknowledge the importance of the American consumer “knowing where their food comes from,” she said.
Hageman said as far as the World Trade Organization is concerned, President Trump has made it clear that he’s not going to allow these organizations to dictate what is America first. “Organizations like the World Health Organization, WTO, United Nations, all of them are kind of on the outs right now,” she said.
She urges consumers and producers to contact their representatives to ask them to sign on to the Hageman bill, which simply adds beef to the current mandatory country of origin labeling law that already covers lamb, chicken and other proteins.
The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Chip Roy (R-Texas). It serves as the House companion to the bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act (S.421) in the Senate, led by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).
The Senate bill directs the U.S. Trade Representative and U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate MCOOL for beef within one year in compliance with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Hageman’s House bill reaffirms that the WTO cannot limit America’s right to label U.S. beef and increases penalties for false “Product of USA” claims. Both bills add beef back into the Agricultural Marketing Act’s labeling provisions.
The announcement comes amid national debate over using foreign beef imports to lower grocery prices.
Says R-CALF USA past president and Gregory, South Dakota rancher Brett Kenzy: “MCOOL is long overdue and would help calm the stormy seas surrounding imports in the beef industry. It would be a huge step toward the confidence American producers will need to start rebuilding their herds.”
