Weedkiller glyphosate named wartime asset
On February 18, President Donald Trump signed an executive order under the Defense Production Act to boost domestic production of glyphosate-based weedkillers (the chemical in products like Roundup) and elemental phosphorus, saying they are critical to national security and America’s food supply.
Glyphosate is widely used in farming but has been linked to cancer and health concerns in thousands of lawsuits and by some scientists — though the EPA disputes it as carcinogenic.
The order could shield producers from certain liabilities and give federal backing to chemical production.
The executive order aims to protect U.S. farming supply, but according to Reuters Bayer does not expect it to create shortages of glyphosate internationally, even as the company deals with legal challenges around the product.
Glyphosate has been the subject of tens of thousands of lawsuits, with plaintiffs saying it caused cancer. Bayer has agreed to a proposed $7.25 billion settlement in many of those cases, and the company has also persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to take up an appeal that could reduce its liability — a case that the Trump administration backed.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/19/trump-kennedy-glyphosate-maha-midterms-rfk-jr.html
