Overview
- President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to expand domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides, citing national security and farm supply needs.
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., long critical of glyphosate, endorsed the order as protecting defense readiness and the food supply, reversing his prior stance.
- MAHA-aligned figures including Zen Honeycutt, Vani Hari and Jillian Michaels denounced the move, calling it a betrayal and warning of health risks tied to glyphosate.
- During a Senate hearing, surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means was pressed on her past statements about glyphosate and whether the order endangers families’ health.
- Reporting on the order highlights language that could confer legal protections to manufacturers complying with it, arriving a day after Bayer proposed a $7.25 billion settlement over Roundup lawsuits.