President Donald Trump is moving to secure America’s agricultural backbone and restore control over critical supply chains that underpin both food security and national defense.
On Feb. 18, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act through Executive Order to ensure an adequate domestic supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. The administration argues that these inputs are essential to maintaining stable crop production, supporting farmers, and protecting the nation from foreign supply disruptions that could threaten both the food system and military readiness.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller. Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 and now faces tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that Roundup exposure caused cancer. Bayer remains the only company producing glyphosate domestically. Outside of Bayer, U.S. farmers rely heavily on imports from China, a dependency the administration views as a strategic vulnerability.
Trump’s order also extends legal immunity to domestic manufacturers ordered under the Defense Production Act to produce glyphosate-containing products. The Defense Production Act of 1950 is a federal law used during national emergencies to prioritize and compel the production of materials deemed necessary for national security.
The move immediately sparked debate, particularly among some within the Make America Healthy Again movement who have voiced concerns about chemical exposure and chronic disease. Yet U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized that the decision must be viewed within a broader strategy to restore national resilience while pursuing long term agricultural reform.
Kennedy has long warned about environmental toxins and regulatory failures that allowed them to proliferate across the food system. His support for the order reflects a pragmatic assessment that meaningful reform requires leverage. A nation dependent on foreign adversaries for essential agricultural inputs lacks the sovereignty necessary to reshape its food supply. Rebuilding domestic capacity, he argues, strengthens the country’s ability to pursue healthier agricultural policies on its own terms.
The administration maintains that securing the supply of key fertilizers and herbicides protects farmers from price shocks, stabilizes production, and reinforces national resilience. On Sunday, Kennedy elaborated on his position in a detailed post on X, addressing concerns and explaining how the order fits within the administration’s long term vision.
His full statement appears below.
“I will always tell the American people the truth.
“Pesticides and herbicides are toxic by design, engineered to kill living organisms. When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk. Chemical manufacturers have paid tens of billions of dollars to settle cancer claims linked to their products, and many agricultural communities report elevated cancer rates and chronic disease.
Unfortunately, our agricultural system depends heavily on these chemicals. The U.S. represents 4% of the world’s population, yet we use roughly 25% of its pesticides. If these inputs disappeared overnight, crop yields would fall, food prices would surge, and America would experience a massive loss of farms even beyond what we are witnessing today. The consequences would be disastrous.
I support President Trump’s Executive Order to bring agricultural chemical production back to the United States and end our near-total reliance on adversarial nations. His EO protects two pillars of national strength: our defense readiness and our food supply. When hostile actors control critical inputs, they directly threaten the security of the American people. The Trump administration will secure these supply chains to eliminate that vulnerability.
President Trump did not build our current system — he inherited it. For decades, Washington designed modern agriculture. Policymakers wrote farm policy, directed research dollars, structured subsidies and crop insurance, and shaped commodity markets to reward monocultures and maximum yield. Those deliberate choices locked farmers into chemical dependence and prioritized short-term output over long-term soil vitality and human health.
We are now changing course — without destabilizing the food supply.
Alongside USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, we are accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture by expanding farming systems that rebuild soil, increase biodiversity, improve water retention, and reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals, including pre-harvest desiccation.
We are also driving the rapid adoption of next-generation technologies, including laser-guided weed control, electrothermal and electrical systems, robotics, precision mechanical cultivation, and biological controls that replace blanket spraying with precision intervention.
These solutions are not theoretical. Farmers are already putting them to work. Markets are scaling them. Now the federal government will act with urgency to expand their reach and accelerate adoption nationwide.
I have met with hundreds of farmers and agricultural leaders across the country. They understand the pressures firsthand. Chemical inputs cut into margins. Chemical-resistant pests are spreading. Soil health is declining. Foreign markets are shutting out American produce. Farmers want workable alternatives, and they want policies that support transition without threatening their livelihoods.
At HHS, I am leading a coordinated effort grounded in gold standard science. I am working with Secretary Rollins and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to expedite a better future where a thriving agricultural system is less dependent on harmful chemicals. We are sharing data, coordinating strategy, and supporting farmers through a practical transition.
The Make America Healthy Again agenda forces us to challenge long-standing assumptions about how we grow food, structure markets, and measure success in this country. Reform at this scale will test entrenched interests, and it will not move in a straight line.
President Trump has opened the door to this debate and backed meaningful change — not only in policy, but in the national conversation about health and agriculture. American farmers stand at the center of this movement. They deserve policies rooted in rigorous science and economic reality. Our children deserve a food system that protects and strengthens their health.
With President Trump’s leadership, we are securing critical supply chains, confronting the health risks embedded in our current system, and deploying every available tool to build a stronger, safer, more resilient American food supply.”
The executive order does not stand alone. It was issued amid a broader push by the Trump administration to realign American agriculture with long-term soil health, food integrity, and farmer independence. While securing critical inputs under the Defense Production Act addresses immediate national security concerns, the administration has also signaled its intent to expand regenerative agricultural practices that reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals over time.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on improving soil structure, increasing carbon sequestration, rotating crops, integrating livestock, and reducing erosion. Supporters argue that healthier soil produces more nutrient-dense food while decreasing long-term dependency on chemical inputs.
President Donald Trump has framed the strategy as one of transition rather than disruption. By restoring domestic production capacity and protecting farmers from foreign supply shocks, the administration says it creates the stability necessary to invest in research, innovation, and incentive programs that reward regenerative practices. The goal, according to officials, is to empower American farmers rather than burden them with sudden mandates that threaten their livelihoods.
For MAHA supporters, the message is clear. National sovereignty, agricultural reform, and public health are not competing priorities. They are sequential steps in a larger strategy to rebuild American strength from the ground up.
