Then-President Joe Biden had vowed in July of 2024 to ‘phase out’ plastics in federal food service, with the end of procurement due in 2027.

President Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to return to using plastic straws. “We’re going back to plastic straws,” he said, adding that paper straws “don’t work.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order aimed at encouraging the U.S. government and consumers to purchase plastic drinking straws. "We're going back to plastic straws," Trump told reporters at the White House as he signed the order.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order reversing a key environmental policy put in place by former President Joe Biden. The order, signed on Monday, ends the federal government’s efforts to replace plastic straws with paper alternatives, calling for a return to plastic straws across government operations.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would sign an executive order “ending the ridiculous Biden push for paper straws, which don’t work.” “BACK TO PLASTIC!” he posted on his social media platform Truth Social. Last summer, the Biden administration announced an initiative to reduce single-use plastics in federal operations.

President Donald Trump's waded into the contentious debate over paper versus plastic straws with an executive order Monday favoring the plastic variety. The president ordered federal agency and department heads to stop buying paper straws and make sure they aren't offered in their buildings.

We’re going back to plastic straws,” Trump said when signing the order, claiming that paper straws simply “don’t work.”

Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the use of paper straws. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ending a US government effort to replace plastic straws and other items with materials such as paper.