Trump Signs Order to Shield Roundup Production.
The only promising prospect of a renewed Trump presidency appeared to be MAHA—a movement to extract the agrochemical industry from American food production and return to holistic, sustainable farming practices. That promise evaporated with the stroke of a pen.
Executive Action
In February 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to protect the manufacturing and domestic supply of glyphosate-based herbicides, chief among them Roundup. The directive instructs the Department of Agriculture to sustain production levels and extends specified legal protections to manufacturers operating under the order.
"The action contradicts earlier commitments to scrutinize toxic chemicals." — Make America Healthy Again Coalition
The decision represents a stark reversal for an administration that had previously championed the Make America Healthy Again initiative, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health and environmental advocates, including MAHA coalition members, have criticized the order as a prioritization of agricultural economics over public welfare.
Legal Implications
The legal implications extend beyond regulatory protection. The administration has simultaneously backed efforts to bring the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to curtail thousands of pending cancer-related lawsuits against Bayer, which acquired Roundup manufacturer Monsanto. Federal officials argue that pesticide law should preempt state litigation—a position that would effectively nullify tens of thousands of claims alleging links between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Supporters contend that federal preemption would provide regulatory clarity for American agriculture. Critics view it as indemnification of corporate interests at the expense of public health accountability.
The tension between these positions underscores a fundamental fracture in contemporary agricultural policy: the collision of chemical-dependent food systems against growing demands for environmental stewardship and chemical safety. As legal challenges mount, the executive order stands as documentation of the gap between rhetorical commitment to health reform and the economic realities of American farming.
