President Trump issued an executive order this week that supports the production of glyphosate, a major herbicide, nationwide.
According to the order, elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides are necessary for national security, as they serve as the “cornerstone of this Nation’s agricultural productivity and rural economy, allowing United States farmers and ranchers to maintain high yields and low production costs while ensuring that healthy, affordable food options remain within reach for all American families.”
The order notes that there is “no direct one-for-one chemical alternative to glyphosate-based herbicides.” Lack of the herbicide, however, “would critically jeopardize agricultural productivity, adding pressure to the domestic food system, and may result in a transition of cropland to other uses due to low productivity.”
There is currently only one domestic producer of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. To supplement its need for the resources, the United States imports “more than 6,000,000 kilograms of elemental phosphorus” annually.
In 2024, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said glyphosate is likely one of the “culprits in America’s chronic disease epidemic.”
“Shockingly, much of our exposure comes from its use as a desiccant on wheat, not as an herbicide,” he said. “From there it goes straight into our bodies.”
“The herbicide Glyphosate is one of the likely culprits in America’s chronic disease epidemic. Much more widely used here than in Europe. Shockingly, much of our exposure comes from its use as a desiccant on wheat, not as an herbicide. From there it goes straight into our bodies. My USDA will ban that practice.”
Meanwhile, Solicitor General John Sauer wrote in a brief relating to a case involving Bayer that the “EPA has repeatedly determined that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic in humans, and the agency has repeatedly approved Roundup labels that did not contain cancer warnings.”
