On February 18, 2026, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) titled "Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides." The order invokes the Defense Production Act (DPA) and states that the production of glyphosate-based herbicides is essential to US national security.

The EO is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration that benefit the pesticide industry and the biotech companies producing genetically engineered (GE) food products.

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement—launched in part by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign—has shown divided reactions to Trump's EO. Some view it as a betrayal of the movement's goals, while others remain optimistic that the administration may still accomplish health-focused reforms.

The Executive Order notes that phosphorus is an important component for "defense supply chains" and is "crucial to military readiness and national defense." It states:

"It is a key input in smoke, illumination, and incendiary devices and is a critical component for manufacturing the semiconductors that are central to numerous defense technologies, such as radar, solar cells, sensors, and optoelectronics."

Beyond military applications, the EO also outlines the current need for phosphorus as a precursor to the production of glyphosate-based herbicides, which "play a critical role in maintaining America's agricultural advantage" by allegedly allowing farmers to "efficiently and cost-effectively produce food and livestock feed."

The order describes glyphosate-based herbicides as "the most widely used crop protection tools in United States agriculture" and "a cornerstone of this Nation's agricultural productivity and rural economy." It claims they allow farmers and ranchers to maintain high yields and low costs while keeping "healthy, affordable food options" accessible to American families.

The order claims that without access to glyphosate-based herbicides the agricultural productivity of the US would be jeopardized, leading to increased pressure on the domestic food system.  "Ensuring an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides is thus crucial to the national security and defense, including food-supply security, which is essential to protecting the health and safety of Americans," the order says.

It specifically instructs US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to use the authority under the DPA to "ensure a continued and adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides."

The Defense Production Act, first enacted in 1950 in response to the Korean War, gives the president the ability to require businesses to accept and prioritize contracts for materials deemed necessary for national defense. The law has been invoked 50 times since 1950, including during the COVID-19 panic when Trump used it to require 3M, General Electric, and Medtronic to increase their production of N95 respirators.

Critics within MAHA have noted that the order explicitly states that "the Secretary shall ensure that any order, rule, or regulation issued under this section does not place the corporate viability of any domestic producer of elemental phosphorus or glyphosate-based herbicides at risk." This would mean any action taken by the government cannot come at the expense of any producer's financial bottom line.

Currently, the only producer of glyphosate-based herbicides is Bayer, the German corporation who purchased Monsanto in 2018. Monsanto has produced the world's most popular glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup since the mid-1970s. In 1996, the company also introduced so-called "Roundup Ready" genetically engineered seeds, designed to withstand glyphosate application.