Trump Issues Executive Order Overturning Biden’s Ban on Plastic Straws in Federal Agencies

February 10, 2025 TruthUSA

Former President Donald Trump claims he has experimented with paper straws on numerous occasions and found that “they don’t work.”

On February 10, President Trump signed an executive order to revoke a regulation from the Biden administration that aimed to eliminate plastic straws within the federal government by the end of the decade.

He expressed disappointment with paper straws after multiple trials.

“We’re reverting back to plastic straws. These things don’t hold up,” Trump stated in the Oval Office. “I’ve tried them numerous times, and at times, they break or fall apart.”

Trump revealed this decision last week.

“I will be signing an Executive Order next week to end the absurd Biden initiative for Paper Straws, which are ineffective. BACK TO PLASTIC!” he posted on Truth Social on February 7.

In 2021, Biden signed an executive order to ensure the federal government transitions to 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity and 100 percent zero-emission vehicle purchases by 2030 and 2035, respectively. The order also mandated that all government vehicles become electric by 2027.

After Biden’s executive order, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued an order encouraging the department’s employees to “submit draft sustainable procurement plans” aimed at reducing the use of plastic products.

Haaland identified plastic products as encompassing “plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery, and disposable plastic bags.”

Trump has frequently addressed this topic. When asked by a reporter in 2019 about his stance on banning plastic straws, he said, “I believe there are more significant issues than plastic straws.” He further added, “It’s intriguing about plastic straws: you have a tiny straw, but what about the plates, the wrappers, and all the other larger items made from the same material?”

Opponents of Trump’s executive order argue that plastic poses a significant threat to the environment.

“Plastics contain over 16,000 chemicals, with more than 3,200 identified as harmful, causing cancer, disrupting hormones, contributing to obesity, or precipitating early puberty in children,” stated Lisa Ramsden, Greenpeace USA’s senior plastics campaigner, in a statement on February 10 released.

“These chemicals have also been associated with reproductive health issues and decreasing fertility.”

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