Trump Declares Glyphosate Critical [Video]

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order granting limited immunity to domestic companies that make glyphosate and phosphorous declaring them to be essential to the U.S. military and farmers.

1950 Defense Production Act

Under the 1950 Defense Production Act, Trump declared elemental phosphorous to be critical to military technologies, such as radar, solar cells and sensors, and to agriculture as a “precursor element’ in producing glyphosate-based herbicides.

During his first term, Trump used the 1950 Defense Production Act in ordering meatpacking plants in the country to remain open during the global pandemic when thousands of workers were ill with COVID-10 and 300 died.

According to the executive order, glyphosate allows “farmers to efficiently and cost-effectively produce food and livestock feed” and the U.S. has “only a single domestic producer of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides, and this producer does not meet our annual needs for those inputs,” requiring six million kilograms of elemental phosphorus for annual import.

In consultation with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Trump ordered U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins to “ensure no order, rules or regulations place the corporate viability of any domestic producer of elemental phosphorus or glyphosate-based herbicides at risk.”

The State Debate Over Glyphosate

Currently, several states are in debates concerning whether manufacturers of the chemical herbicide should be protected from legal action over cancer-linking claims. Senior attorney for Food & Water Watch Dani Replogle said, “This is the clearest indication yet that the Trump administration is at the beck and call of the pesticide industry — Bayer specifically.” Bayer AG is the parent company for Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup.

Replogle asserts the Defense Production Act is generally reserved  for “national emergencies like war or during the COVID pandemic,” when it was used to increase production of PPE and ventilators.

Roundup Settlement

Despite the popularity of Roundup with farmers across the country, Bayer AG has battled product-liability claims for years. Primarily, these claims have been brought forward by private garden users who linked the chemical to cancer diagnosis.

On Tuesday, Feb. 17, Bayer AG announced an agreement to pay $7.25 billion to resolve the tens of thousands of lawsuits. However, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the company’s appeal limiting its liability in the lawsuits. The Supreme Court made the decision to rule in this matter after the Trump administration supported Bayer AG’s view that federal regulation of the chemical take precedence over state laws.

Last year, the herbicide company warned it could be forced to stop production in the Unites States if regulatory changes were not made due to the litigation.

Support From Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports the executive order and gave this statement: “Donald Trump’s Executive Order puts America first where it matters most — our defense readiness and our food supply. We must safeguard America’s national security first, because all of our priorities depend on it. When hostile actors control critical inputs, they weaken our security. By expanding domestic production, we close that gap and protect American families.”

Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again coalition is very much against the use of glyphosate. His stance on the chemical could threaten the stability of his coalition and the Republican grip in Washington ahead of the midterm elections.

Sources:

USA Today: Trump issues order declaring glyphosate national defense priority
CNBC: Kennedy defends Trump glyphosate order; MAHA erupts as midterms approach
The Hill: Trump seeks to boost controversial herbicide glyphosate, drawing MAHA ire

Featured Image Courtesy of Tim Roth’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License