Trump boosts MAHA-style farming after movement suffers Roundup loss

President Donald Trump is investing in regenerative agriculture to appease the Make America Healthy Again base ahead of the midterm elections, a move that follows a disastrous blow to the movement’s anti-pesticide goals from the Supreme Court.

Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Thursday to increase investment from the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture in regenerative agriculture, a set of farming practices that reduces dependence on pesticides and chemical fertilizers to improve ecosystem health.

The order came just hours after the Supreme Court sided with the pharmaceutical company Bayer in a landmark case shielding the company from liability for failing to warn that the herbicide glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, may cause cancer. 

The decision was a massive loss for the MAHA base of the GOP, which blames glyphosate for not only rising cancer rates among agriculture workers but also the increase in gluten intolerance and other metabolic dysfunction problems.

Each year, roughly 280 million pounds of glyphosate are sprayed on nearly 300 million acres of farmland, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to its use as a weed killer, glyphosate is also used as a crop desiccant, in which farmers spray glyphosate on grain crops to make harvesting more efficient.

The executive order directs HHS and the EPA to examine the health effects of glyphosate in the food supply, marking the first action the White House has taken specifically targeting the potential negative consequences of heavy glyphosate use in U.S. agriculture.

Jennifer Galardi, senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation’s Restoring American Wellness initiative, told the Washington Examiner the executive order “is commendable and exciting” and should be seen as a win for the MAHA movement.

“It’s an important step in understanding the connection between our food supply and chronic disease and solidifies the historic partnership across agencies in this administration,” Galardi said. “The farmers in America are talking and this administration is listening.” 

Glyphosate has been driving a wedge between the MAHA movement and Trump’s Make America Great Again coalition for several months. 

Activists, including now-HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., started to rally against glyphosate and its maker, the German company Bayer, after the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization declared the chemical “possibly carcinogenic to humans” in 2015. 

Glyphosate reform was a key aspect of Kennedy’s independent presidential campaign in 2024 before he joined forces with Trump to create the MAHA platform, but the Trump administration has largely supported glyphosate use since then.

The Department of Justice backed Bayer in its claim before the Supreme Court that the company should not be held liable in civil court for failing to warn consumers about potential cancer risks because the EPA has never supported the claim that the chemical causes cancer in humans. The justices ruled in favor of Bayer in the case 7-2, arguing the EPA, not states or civil juries, has the sole authority to determine what the company must put on its warning label.

The president also angered the MAHA base by issuing an executive order in February to ramp up domestic production of glyphosate on national security grounds.

The new executive order directs EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to “review all available data for registered pre-harvest desiccation uses and ensure alignment with all applicable safety and environmental standards, including accurate labeling of chemical products.”

The order also requires HHS, USDA, and EPA to develop a “research and evaluation framework for cumulative exposure” of glyphosate and other agriculture chemicals. 

Thank you, @POTUS, for signing this landmark Executive Order to scale regenerative agriculture and advance the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

On Thursday, @SecRollins and I joined President Trump alongside America's leading regenerative farmers because healthier food starts… pic.twitter.com/APSbT8aNXJ

Trump administration officials sympathetic to MAHA have argued it is necessary to invest in regenerative agriculture before reducing glyphosate use to keep the food supply stable.

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic farming approach that focuses on soil health, using natural methods to rehabilitate the ecosystem without sacrificing food system productivity. The goal of regenerative agriculture is to preserve the carbon, nutrients, and microbiotic life in soil while maximizing plant diversity. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins praised regenerative agriculture in a video message with Kennedy posted on X Friday afternoon, calling it an essential piece in improving the food supply.

“Regenerative agriculture, which includes so many great conservation practices, allows our farmers of all stripes to manage soil health, to adjust input dependency, and to continue to be the best stores of their most prized asset, their land,” Rollins said.

Rollins said USDA has made $700 million available as part of a pilot program to increase the uptake of regenerative farming practices.

Kennedy has said repeatedly that the MAHA agenda cannot happen without the support of farmers and ranchers at the heart of the food supply chain.

“The quality of our food begins with the way we grow it, and that’s why America’s farmers are essential partners in this mission,” Kennedy said. 

But even if some view it as a step in the right direction, it’s not clear the president’s directive on regenerative agriculture will be enough to appease left-leaning swing voters who identify with the MAHA cause to back the GOP in the November midterm elections. 

Health and wellness activist Vani Hari, known as the “Food Babe” online, posted on X that the president’s executive order “does nothing for chemical regulation but kick the can down the road.” 

Hari compared the situation to Trump’s reported call in May to then-Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary to approve flavored vape products, after which Makary resigned from his post.

Let's be very clear. If this administration wanted pre-harvest desiccation banned like it already is in Europe, Trump could call Lee Zeldin just like he called Dr. Marty Makary when he wanted Mango Vapes approved… And Lee wouldn't have to resign over it because he would be held…

“If this administration wanted pre-harvest dedication banned like it already is in Europe, Trump could call Lee Zeldin,” Hari said. 

She added that Zeldin “would be held a freaking HERO for reducing glyphosate poisoning that is causing cancer across the country. A simple call would be all it takes.”

Shaughnessy Naughton, president of the Democrat advocacy group 314 Action, called the executive order “politics masquerading as science” when speaking to the Washington Examiner.

314 Action is a lobbying group that works to elect Democrats with science or health backgrounds to public office and has taken a sharp stance against MAHA’s anti-vaccine bent. Nevertheless, the group supports glyphosate reform and other improvements to the food system that are also championed by MAHA supporters.

Naughton said the executive order “does nothing but pour salt on the wound” for key constituents that Republicans will need to maintain majorities in Congress following the midterm elections.

“This executive order doesn’t solve the problem — it puts lipstick on a pig,” Naughton said. “If the administration wanted to ban the use of glyphosate, they would. But the truth is, Monsanto has more money and power than MAHA moms and farmers.”