Stutzman talks tariffs, DOGE cuts at Steuben event; protestors turn out in rain

One example that clearly hits close to the Stutzman home is the trade situation with Australia, which is a huge importer of Wagyu beef. The Wagyu cattle produces meat that is high in omega three fats, making it healthier for those who eat beef. Stutzman raises Wagyu beef cattle.

The trouble with Australia, Stutzman said, is that country does not allow American beef imports, a decision that dates to 2003 and the days of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease. Even though the disease has virtually been eliminated, Australia still doesn’t allow American beef yet is a huge exporter of beef to the United States. BSE poses a risk to humans. It reportedly has never been detected in cattle in Australia.

“I didn’t realize this. Kind of forgot about it, but the old mad cow disease that we had about 20 years ago, other countries banned our beef from going into their countries. Well, Australia was one of those, and so they said, ‘Nope, no American beef can go to Australia.’ But of course, we continue to buy Australian beef. Well, that was 20 years ago. Guess what that ban is still on today,” Stutzman said. “They still don’t buy American beef, but we’re buying hundreds of thousands of tons of Australian beef. And you know what? I like Australian beef, OK, I’d still rather eat American beef, but we eat a lot of beef in this country.”

The news service Reuters reported that Australia exported about $4 billion worth of beef to the U.S. last year.

Stutzman’s tariff

Stutzman on Wednesday proposed a tariff of 70% on Australian beef. But ultimately, he said after his 22-minute address and question and answer period, he would prefer that there would not be any tariffs placed by the United States or Australia on goods sold in each other’s country.

“I had a constituent come to me and say, ‘You know what, we need to put a tariff on Australian beef because they’re not buying American beef, but we’re buying theirs, and in particular the Wagyu breed, which is a growing breed, the Australians are taking that breed and are building that up and have invested millions and millions of dollars into that industry, and then they’re shipping it,” Stutzman said. Among other agricultural products, Stutzman raises Wagyu beef.

“Half the Wagyu that’s consumed in America comes from Australia and we’re hurting our own producers right here at home. So we’ve let China and Mexico take our manufacturing jobs, and of course, they’ve got tariffs on our products, and they have low labor standards, low environmental standards. They’re the ones manipulating their currency. They’ve done it in China manufacturing Australia is doing it to our beef farmers here in America,” Stutzman said.

Stutzman said while the stock market took a huge hit the two days following Trump’s sweeping tariffs announcement, there will come a time when people will actually thank the president for his moves.

“And so President Trump comes out and puts a tariff. It says we’re going to level the playing field. Instead of us continuing to build their economies, we’re going to start building the American economy. And I think that, I mean, we should be thanking President Trump. Those folks (pointing toward the direction of protesters) should be thanking President Trump. They will someday. They will because America is going to be a great country, because we’re going to start looking out for America, ... because, if we don’t, how are we going to help others?”

Government cuts

Stutzman noted the many cuts being carried out by members of the administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, were necessary because of the fat in government, partly caused by new government jobs created during the President Joe Biden administration.

When it came to Social Security and Medicaid, he said there were rampant reports of abuse in those programs that stood to be cut while not impacting program recipients.

Stutzman cited one example where there were parties that were buying up Social Security numbers then using them to collect benefits.

While there’s no direct evidence of entities buying Social Security numbers in order to collect benefits, individuals and groups do misuse Social Security numbers for identity theft and fraud, including attempting to access benefits, and the Social Security Administration has measures in place to combat this, said information from the Social Security Administration.

Social Security was on the minds and signs of some of the protesters gathered outside of The Heritage Club, home of the Steuben County Council on Aging, where the Steuben County Republican Party regularly holds its monthly Chairman’s Breakfast meetings on the first Saturday of the month.

In addition to Stutzman, state elected officials also gave brief updates. On hand were State Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, 51st District Rep. Tony Isa, R-Angola, and 52nd Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn.

All gave updates on a variety of topics, including what the tax reform package will possibly look like in the coming days as the Legislature winds up its work for this session. Glick noted that while the final bill might not ultimately be to the complete liking of Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, it will bring relief to Hoosier property taxpayers when they pay their bills in 2026. That’s the earliest new rates could take effect because what people are paying now was established in 2024.

The protestors

About 15-20 people stood in the rain at the corner of Harcourt Road and Wohlert Street to protest Stutzman’s speech, which while not billed as a town hall, was one of the few if any public events he has held since he returned to Congress in January after an eight-year hiatus.

Officers with the Steuben County Democratic Party urged people to protest outside the Heritage Club, followed by another rally at 10:30 a.m. on the Mound in downtown Angola, where about a dozen people stood, holding signs and chanting.

At The Heritage Club, the protestors chanted, “Marlin Stutzman, come outside. You can run but you can’t hide.”

Third District office moves The 3rd District Office of Congressman Marlin Stutzman has moved out of downtown Fort Wayne venue it once held because Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., wanted to remain in that office he occupied when he was in the U.S. House of Representatives. The District Office is now located at 6714 Pointe Inverness Way, Suite 220, Fort Wayne. Director of constituent services is Rob Reece. The phone number for the office is 702-4750. Reece may be reached by email at robert.reece@mail.house.gov. Reece said the office is very convenient to reach off of Interstate 69.