Trump Declares Herbicide Supply a National Security Crisis, Defying Liberal Critics With America First Action
“Our farmers feed the world, and I will not let bureaucrats or foreign rivals hold them hostage.” – President Donald J. Trump, February 18, 2026
Defense Production Act Invoked: No More Bowing to Beijing or Brussels
President Trump just dropped a policy bombshell that is already shaking the agricultural and political landscape to its roots. On February 18, he signed an Executive Order that puts herbicides and elemental phosphorus, the unsung heroes of American farming, directly under national security protections via the Defense Production Act (DPA). For decades, left-wing activists and foreign interests have tried to kneecap American farmers-whether by environmental extremism or trade manipulation. But President Trump has drawn his red line: No more games, no more dependence on anti-American suppliers.
With this bold move, the president guarantees that Middle America’s breadbasket-and America’s ability to keep feeding itself and supply military logistics-won’t rely on potentially hostile countries like Russia and China. This policy is about economic sovereignty. It’s about jobs, lower prices, and keeping America secure. As one Monsanto/Bayer spokesperson put it, the decision “reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools.”
“This order ensures we produce what we need-on our own soil, under our own flag. No regulatory red tape will tie the hands of our farmers or businesses.” – Senior Trump Administration Official
Don’t believe the liberal panic. This is the kind of decisive, unapologetic leadership rural America-and all Americans-have been demanding.
Roundup, Red Tape, and Resilience: How Trump Is Beating Back the Health Lobby and Globalism
The president’s order goes far beyond agriculture-it’s a showdown between freedom-loving Americans and a tide of radical regulation. The left is seething because the Executive Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of War, to prioritize contracts and allocate materials. Translation? American producers get top priority for these crucial ingredients, and no government red tape can “put the corporate viability of any domestic producer at risk.” No one, not the EPA, not foreign lobbyists, is going to shut down the American farm on Trump’s watch.
This comes as lawsuits continue to swirl around Bayer’s Monsanto unit, which has proposed a $7.25 billion settlement aimed at putting to rest tens of thousands of claims alleging the popular Roundup weedkiller causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. While activist lawyers and leftist health groups wring their hands about possible risks-and try to cash in at every turn-the Trump administration is zeroing in on the bigger picture: food security, strong supply chains, and the right of every American farmer to compete and win without foreign interference.
“Bayer/Monsanto is facing more than 60,000 claims from people who claim exposure to glyphosate caused their cancer, but let’s not lose sight of this: scientific agencies, regulatory bodies, and agricultural experts worldwide continue to deem glyphosate safe when used as directed. Yet the litigation industry and their cheerleaders in the mainstream media keep inflaming the narrative.” – Agri-Industry Analyst, Daily Harvest Newsletter
Critics from groups like Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) have mounted furious opposition, trying to tie up this executive action in both the courts and the courts of public opinion. Expect endless CNN segments and Twitter hashtags decrying “poison in the heartland.” But the truth? Our food production and military readiness depend on chemicals that have fed this nation-and kept it free-for generations.
America First, Always: How Trump’s Order Sends a Message to the World and the Left
President Trump didn’t just sign a piece of paper. He made a promise to the heartland and to anyone who believes in a self-reliant America. This order locks in the supply not just for farmers, but for the military and national security applications that too many Beltway elites forget. Phosphorus is used in everything from fertilizers to high-tech defense systems-its supply simply cannot be left to chance, or worse, to the whims of our geopolitical rivals.
The Executive Order is classic Trump: direct, forceful, with no apologies to America’s critics. As food prices remain high and global instability threatens supply chains, this action gives certainty to our agricultural sector. It shields Bayer’s U.S. operations under federal protection and instructs agencies to bulldoze bureaucratic barriers that slow down domestic production. Bayer’s controversial settlement-proposed at a whopping $7.25 billion-remains in the headlines, but for the men and women who grow our food, it’s the president’s America First push that truly matters.
“Trump’s decision to invoke the Defense Production Act is a shot across the bow to every country and activist who thinks they can dictate American policy. Production is coming home-bank on it.” – U.S. Agribusiness Executive, Kansas City Conference
Of course, the timing is no coincidence. With the 2026 midterms looming, and President Trump committed to reshaping U.S. economic policy for the next generation, these decisive steps further solidify his base and chart a bold path on food, security, and sovereignty. The liberal establishment will howl, but rural America-and anyone who values true independence-should be cheering. The fight for America’s fields and factories is on, and with Trump in the White House, they’re fighting to win.
