Trump: I'm Ditching Paper Straws

President Trump is going after paper straws in one of his next initiatives:

• "I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don't work," Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. "BACK TO PLASTIC!"
• The reference is to an initiative former President Biden signed last year to phase out single-use plastics such as straws, cutlery, and cups throughout the federal government, reports the Washington Post. It was not clear if Trump's executive order would focus only on straws.

• The issue may sound small-scale on the surface, but Politico sees the debate over straws as "a microcosm of a larger debate over whether the federal government should mitigate greenhouse gas emissions." Most plastic is derived from fossil fuels.
• USA Today similarly sees the straw issue as a proxy fight "against Democrat-backed environmental regulations." Working in Republicans' favor is that paper straws "tend to quickly dissolve and can be unpopular with consumers of beverages," the story adds.
• The issue goes back awhile: Newsweek notes that Trump sold Trump-branded plastic straws during his 2020 campaign. "Liberal paper straws don't work," his site declared at the time. "Stand with President Trump and buy your recyclable straws today."

(More President Trump stories.)