‘Back To Plastic!’: Trump Vows To End ‘Ridiculous Biden Push For Paper Straws’

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would sign an executive order next week ending the federal government’s “ridiculous” push for paper straws.

Last year, the Biden administration announced that it would “phase out” single-use plastic utensils such as cutlery, cups, and straws across federal departments. The move was part of President Joe Biden’s “ambitious actions … to end plastic pollution,” the New York Post reported. In a Truth Social post on Friday morning, Trump said the U.S. government would again use plastic straws.

“I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!” the president wrote.

In recent years, some restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops have begun using paper straws instead of plastic in the name of saving the environment. A Belgian study published in 2023, however, showed that out of plastic, paper, glass, and bamboo straws, paper straws contain the most perfluoroalkylate and polyfluoroalkylate substances (PFAS), which are often referred to as “forever chemicals.”

“PFAS were more frequently detected in plant-based materials, such as paper and bamboo,” the study’s authors noted, adding, “The presence of PFAS in plant-based straws shows that they are not necessarily biodegradable and that the use of such straws potentially contributes to human and environmental exposure of PFAS.”

Until Trump officially rolls out his executive order, it’s unknown how his action could affect state laws and business operations across the country. Some states, such as California and New Jersey, have single-use plastic bans in effect, prohibiting restaurants from handing out plastic straws or cutlery unless a customer specifically asks for them.

Trump’s executive action on paper straws will likely be popular among conservative Americans. After the Biden administration began cracking down on paper straw use in the federal government, Republican lawmakers blasted the move.

“The world’s on fire and [Biden’s] worried about plastic forks,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told The Daily Mail.

“Look, I certainly understand that plastics are a pollutant, we need to do a better job with it,” Rounds added. “But I’m a little bit hesitant to say that this plastic ban will be a good thing.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) added, “They should shrink the government if they want it to be less of a consumer. The reason it’s the largest consumer is because … it employs so many people, and it’s doing so many things it was probably never intended to do. So if they want to reduce the impact of the U.S. government environmentally, they should right-size the government.”