Overview
- President Donald Trump’s executive order invokes the Defense Production Act to boost domestic supplies of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides and directs USDA to prioritize contracts.
- The order includes limited legal immunity for manufacturers following federal directives, with experts noting it is unlikely to erase existing product‑liability exposure.
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who recently said, “I believe glyphosate causes cancer”—defended the order in a Sunday post, calling pesticides “toxic by design” but supporting domestic production for stability.
- MAHA activists, including Moms Across America’s Zen Honeycutt and advocate Kelly Ryerson, condemned the move as a betrayal, intensifying strains that analysts say could threaten the coalition ahead of the midterms.
- Scientific and legal crosscurrents persist, with IARC classifying glyphosate as probably carcinogenic and EPA finding low cancer risk when used as labeled, as Rep. Thomas Massie proposes a bill targeting the order’s immunity and Bayer advances a proposed $7.25 billion Roundup settlement.