Trump invokes the Defense Production Act to boost domestic glyphosate production, as MAHA erupts 

Invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday night calling the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of War to boost domestic production of elemental phosphorus. 

The compound is essential in the making of glyphosate, the active ingredient in German pharmaceutical Bayer’s best-selling herbicide, Roundup.

In the document, the Head of State argued that a "continued and adequate" supply of glyphosate was crucial for national security, as it helps ensure the country’s food security.

"There is no direct one-for-one chemical alternative to glyphosate-based herbicides," Trump’s order reads. "Lack of access to glyphosate-based herbicides 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."

Bayer is currently the only domestic producer of elemental phosphorus, which it uses mainly to make glyphosate for Roundup. The big pharma company gets some of its phosphorus at a nearly tapped-out mine in Idaho. But supply has dwindled compared to the ever-growing demand for the weedkiller, forcing Bayer to import most of the elemental phosphorus it needs. 

Back in October, the German company was authorized by the Trump Administration to build a new site near the Idaho mine, using 1,800 acres of both public and private land. 

It is unclear whether this new directive will benefit the project either financially or logistically. 

Movement in the glyphosate front

The executive order comes only a day after Bayer, along with its unit Monsanto, announced it had filed a $7.25 billion class settlement proposal to resolve current and future litigation claiming Roundup-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma injuries. 

This is only one part of the company’s strategy to close an incredibly litigious chapter in its history. The rest hinges on the result of a Supreme Court review of the Monsanto v. Durnell case, which, according to Law 360, “could determine whether state failure-to-warn claims are preempted by federal pesticide labeling rules.”

The Trump Administration already voiced its support for the pharmaceutical, which led to the company’s stock going up 15 percent in December.

MAHA pushes back 

The White House directive drew considerable online criticism, especially from members of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. 

“Just as the large MAHA base begins to consider what to do at midterms, the President issues an [executive order] to expand domestic glyphosate production,” said Kelly Ryerson, a MAHA activist known on social media as Glyphosate Girl, on a post on X. “The very same carcinogenic pesticide that MAHA cares about most.”

Supporters of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., were also up in arms, as the Trump appointee has long been a detractor of the use of pesticides in agriculture, citing their potential carcinogenic effects. The New York Times reports that in 2018, Kennedy was among the lawyers in a landmark glyphosate case against Monsanto, helping plaintiffs win $289 million in damages. 

In a post published on the NGO’s website, Ken Cook, the president and co-founder of Environmental Working Group, which has occasionally supported Kennedy, said, “I can’t envision a bigger middle finger to every MAHA mom than this.” 

To the shock of MAHA, RFK Jr. backtracked on his opposition to glyphosate-based herbicides. In a statement released to CNBC on Thursday, the Secretary of State supported President Trump’s directive, saying it puts America first where it matters most: "defense readiness and our food supply.”

“We must safeguard America’s national security first, because all of our priorities depend on it," the statement reads. "When hostile actors control critical inputs, they weaken our security. By expanding domestic production, we close that gap and protect American families.” 

*All images are referential. 

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