Trump Reverses Paper Straw Policy, Returns to Plastic

President Donald Trump announced a ban on federal use of paper straws, declaring, “We’re going back to plastic straws. Paper straws don’t work.” His executive order reverses a Biden administration plan to phase out single-use plastics by 2035.

Despite concerns about ocean pollution and climate impacts, Trump claimed, “I don’t think plastic is going to affect the shark very much.”

Environmental groups criticized the decision as “moving in the wrong direction,” while the plastics industry celebrated it. Matt Seaholm of the Plastics Industry Association said, “‘Back to Plastic’ is a movement we should all get behind.”