Donald Trump Signs Executive Order in Favor of Plastic Drinking Straws

Mar. 15, 2025

A photo of President Donald Trump signing his new executive order against paper straw-use.Photo:Andrew Harnik/Getty; Getty

Andrew Harnik/Getty; Getty

PresidentDonald Trumpis looking to end the nationwide use of paper straws.

He signed anexecutive orderon Monday, Feb. 10, encouraging the U.S. government and public to go back to using plastic straws following the Biden administration’s push to phase out the single-use plastics.

Trump’s administration described the paper straws in the executive order as “nonfunctional” and more “expensive” to make than plastic straws. It also noted that the paper straws “sometimes come individually wrapped in plastic, undermining the environmental argument for their use.”

Under the executive order, government agencies have been directed to “eliminate the procurement of paper straws” and no longer provide them “within agency buildings,” as well as work with states “that ban or penalize plastic straw purchase or use” to “contract policies and terms” in favor of using plastic straws.

“We’re going back to plastic straws,” Trump told reporters after signing the executive order, perReuters. “I don’t think plastic is going to affect a shark very much, as they’re munching their way through the ocean.”

The president hinted at the executive order on social media on Friday, Feb. 7,writing on social media: “I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!”

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However, Trump has been a staunch opponent of plastic straws and evenlaunched his own brand of reusable plastic strawsduring his 2020 reelection campaign. When asked if he would support a ban against plastic straws at the time, Trump told reporters: “I do think we have bigger problems than plastic straws.”

“You know, it’s interesting about plastic straws: So, you have a little straw, but what about the plates, the wrappers, and everything else that are much bigger and they’re made of the same material? Everybody focuses on the straws,” he continued. “There’s a lot of other things to focus on.”

source: people.com