Trump order seeks to protect weedkiller at center of barrage of lawsuits

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on February 18, 2026, protecting the production of glyphosate-based herbicides like Roundup and providing immunity for their manufacturers, citing national security concerns amid thousands of lawsuits alleging the weedkiller causes cancer. The executive order, which also safeguards domestic phosphorus production used in making glyphosate and other agricultural chemicals, was issued under the Defense Production Act. It instructs USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to issue necessary regulations to implement the order, with the White House arguing that 'the threat of reduced or ceased production' of these substances 'gravely endangers national security and defense, including food-supply security.' The move comes as Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, faces tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its glyphosate herbicides cause cancer and that the company failed to warn users of the risks. The executive order has faced significant backlash from health and environmental advocates, including figures in the Make America Healthy Again coalition, which was established by the Trump administration. Food activist Vani Hari criticized the order as reading 'like it was drafted in a chemical company boardroom,' while Kelly Ryerson expressed disappointment that the administration was expanding protections for a pesticide 'derided by the Maha movement.' Notably, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who heads a MAHA commission, has a history of criticizing glyphosate, though he issued a statement supporting the order as putting 'America first where it matters most – our defense readiness and our food supply.' Environmental health director Lori Ann Burd called the order 'a sickening love letter from Trump to the largest pesticide companies,' emphasizing that it demonstrates Trump doesn't 'care at all about Americans' health.' The order contains a clause conferring immunity as provided in section 707 of the Defense Production Act, which states that 'no person shall be held liable' for acts resulting from compliance with such orders. While Bayer did not comment on its involvement in crafting the executive order, the company issued a statement reinforcing its position that US farmers need access to 'essential, domestically produced crop protection tools such as glyphosate.' Bayer maintains its glyphosate herbicides do not cause cancer and has been pursuing various strategies to address litigation pressure, including seeking state-level protections from lawsuits and asking the Supreme Court to rule on federal preemption of failure-to-warn lawsuits, with a hearing scheduled for April 27.