Trump issues order declaring glyphosate national defense priority

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Feb. 19, 2026, 9:12 p.m. ET


President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week prioritizing U.S. production of glyphosate, saying the herbicide is critical to the nation’s security. Trump’s executive order, issued late Wednesday, Feb. 18, provides limited immunity to domestic companies that make glyphosate and phosphorus, declaring both essential to the nation’s military and farmers.

Using the 1950 Defense Production Act, Trump said elemental phosphorus is critical to military technologies such as radar, solar cells and sensors, and to agriculture as a "precursor element" in producing glyphosate-based herbicides. The president also used the Defense Production Act during his first term, ordering U.S. meatpacking plants to remain open during the global pandemic as thousands of workers became ill from COVID-19 and nearly 300 died.

According to Trump's order, glyphosate allows U.S. “farmers to efficiently and cost-effectively produce food and livestock feed.” The order further states that 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 roughly 6 million kilograms of elemental phosphorus to be imported annually.

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

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/19/trump-executive-order-glyphosate-herbicides-roundup/88766972007/

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Phosphorous is used for a TON of things other than to manufacture that herbicide (like for fertilizers). But excess phosphorous fertilizer runoff into estuaries, ponds, lakes, rivers, and bays, have caused horrible algae blooms too.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. He's just protecting Bayer/Monsanto and Dow. No other reason.

Last edited Fri Feb 20, 2026, 10:15 AM - Edit history (2)

ETA: These big agrichemical corps donate plenty to the GOP, but they're facing huge penalties for the damages their product has caused. Trmp doesn't believe corps should **EVER** pay damages to mere citizens, only "donations" to Trmp and his cronies.

This is a man who believes that lying, cheating, bullying, and threatening violence are all just part of a normal business model. He *literally* does not feel there is anything wrong with totally immoral behavior.

[johnnyfins]

2. This

[BumRushDaShow]

4. More like Bayer (who bought Monsanto that made "Round Up" )

although Dow Chemicals does make their own version.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Oops, you're right ! I'll correct. nt

Last edited Fri Feb 20, 2026, 10:32 AM - Edit history (1)

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Dow does have its specialty herbicide that uses glycosphate and other stuff for weeds that don't respond to Round-Up

(like some of the jungley stuff in my sister's yard ) But I bet that is expensive!

[KPN]

18. Well, one other reason. I'm sure Bayer/Monsanto and Dow paid a hefty fee for this. It's the Trump Pay-to-Play

executive branch after all.

[Goonch]

3. ;-{).......

[amcgrath]

5. Trump simply enjoys

Tearing up legislation or regulations that he thinks will upset his opponents. He exercises his power through spite. It is a victory for him. Not so great for the farmers though, since most potential importers don’t want produce dripping with weedkiller

[travelingthrulife]

7. Another fake emergency to save a fellow rich thug.

[cstanleytech]

8. I'm waiting for him to declare a national emergency for suppositories and incontinence briefs.

[Prairie Gates]

9. MAHA Forever, right?

Wasn't glyphosate the top enemy and most hated chemical of the MAHA dummies?

Is RFK Jr. too busy drinking sauna milk with Meth Rock to influence policy? Wasn't he endlessly on about glyphosate as well?

[Nigrum Cattus]

10. critical to the nation's security ?

herbicide is national security my ass
is cancer a priority ?

[Conjuay]

12. Someone should remind him

He won't need herbicides in his attack of Iran.

[ananda]

13. What a prez.. always thinking of new ways to kill and harm us.

Gee, what a guy

[FakeNoose]

14. Won't this destroy our precious aquifers?

Does the EPA have any authority remaining, or are they Chump's latest lapdogs....

[milestogo]

15. Sounds like he's spending too much time with RFK Jr.

[JoseBalow]

16. "National defense" is his go-to loophole

to skirt rules and laws, and do whatever the fuck he wants.

[usonian]

17. Don't worry, be happy. It's GREAT STUFF. Best stuff in the world. Another Executive Odor.

WebMD:
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/herbicide-glyphosate-cancer

Long-Term Health Risks of Glyphosate Exposure
Cancer. Some studies suggest glyphosate may be linked to cancer. Others suggest there’s no link. The International Agency for Research on Cancer categorizes glyphosate as a probable carcinogen for humans. The EPA says that glyphosate does not pose a risk to humans as long as it is used according to directions. They also stated that it is unlikely that it causes cancer in humans. A 2023 study by The University of California, Berkeley, found that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen.

Liver and kidney damage. Glyphosate may affect your kidney and liver. Studies of humans have found possible links between glyphosate and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, cirrhosis, and chronic kidney disease.

Endocrine and reproductive issues. The EPA says that there is no evidence that glyphosate interferes with the endocrine system or hormones in humans. A 2024 study linked glyphosate levels to infertility in men.

Digestive issues. According to a 2020 study, a majority of gut bacteria may be susceptible to glyphosate, which could affect the makeup of the human gut microbiome.

LOTS more here:
https://usrtk.org/pesticides/glyphosate-health-concerns/

And the EPA (Epstein Protection Agency) says "no big deal" ...

[Bayard]

19. Just read the headlines

These companies have been paying out huge lawsuits to people harmed by glyphosate.

[SunSeeker]

20. What say you, MAHA Moms?

[Griefbird]

21. What a coincidence

Whatever Trump wants happens to be a national security need and therfore outside the purview of any checks and balances.

[twodogsbarking]

22. I think there are at least thirty nonprofits for the Chesapeake Bay. I live in the watershed.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed is a 64,000-square-mile drainage basin in the Mid-Atlantic U.S., encompassing parts of six states (NY, PA, WV, DE, MD, VA) and all of Washington, D.C.. It is the nation's largest estuary, draining into the Bay and supporting over 18 million residents, diverse ecosystems, and significant economic activity.

What could go right?

[BumRushDaShow]

23. The oysters in the Bay were finally making a comeback

after decades of over-harvesting, massive pollution, and phosphate fertilizer runoff.

Now that will be threatened again.

[twodogsbarking]

24. Identifying and compiling of hazardous chemicals and natural pollutants sold should be a national effort.

I think California has a system in place. If they find it in the water they know who to look for. I will take spots on my apples.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

25. MaddowBlog-Trump executive order on a weed killer chemical didn't do RFK Jr. any favors

The “Make America Healthy Again” agenda is riddled with a series of overlapping contradictions, which are becoming even more common.

When RFK Jr. was on the campaign trail in 2024, he vowed that if he joined Trump’s team, he would “ban the worst agricultural chemicals.”

I have some bad news for the voters who actually believed he'd follow through on this.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-19T18:25:23.000Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-executive-order-on-a-weed-killer-chemical-didnt-do-rfk-jr-any-favors

About a year later, in November 2025, the Republican administration advanced a plan to approve agricultural pesticides containing “forever chemicals” as an active ingredient, despite concerns raised by some scientists and environmental activists. Kennedy, in his capacity as Trump’s health and human services secretary, bit his tongue.

This year, the underlying dynamic has reached a new level. The New York Times reported:

President Trump issued an executive order late Wednesday aimed at spurring the domestic production of glyphosate, a widely used weedkiller that has figured in health lawsuits.

The move immediately set off alarms among supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement, and appeared to put Mr. Kennedy in an awkward position.

As the report explains, glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, which has been the target of tens of thousands of lawsuits that claim it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma......

This has been an ongoing issue for months. In June, MS NOW’s Catherine Rampell wrote a memorable Washington Post column along these lines, noting that Kennedy’s MAHA agenda is rooted in part in the idea that Americans’ health would greatly improve through better nutrition and exposure to fewer environmental toxins.

Kennedy, Rampell added, is nevertheless playing a leading role in an administration that’s “expanding use of environmental toxins.”

If Kennedy and Team Trump wanted to admit that the MAHA agenda was largely focused on undermining vaccines, it would be impolitic, but it would also be far closer to the truth.