Jimmy Patronis Applauds Trump's Plan to Keep Plastic Straws, Scrap Paper

MIAMI - Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis on Friday applauded President Donald Trump for saying he would issue an Executive Order to undo a Biden administration plan to phase out plastic straws for more environmentally friendly paper straws.

"I will be signing an Executive Order ending the ridiculous Biden push for paper straws, which don't work. BACK TO PLASTIC," Trump said.

Former President Joe Biden had planned to phase out plastic from food service operations by 2027 and from all federal agencies by 2035.

“The President is committed to taking ambitious actions… to end plastic pollution and is calling upon the global community to do the same, with the goal to reduce the global production and consumption of virgin plastics,” the White House said back in August 2024.

Donald Trump first took issue with paper straws during his second run-up for president in 2020. The State of Florida has not banned plastic straws, but some cities and towns have put in ordinances against them.

“They want to ban straws. Has anyone tried those paper straws? They’re not working too good,” Trump said at one event. “It disintegrates as you drink it.”

Trump has pledged similar environmental rollbacks in the past, including his recent pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement - a global initiative to fulfill objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention to combat climate change.

He also routinely advocated for the United States to "drill baby drill" to boost fossil fuel production throughout his presidential campaigns. Moreover, Republicans have scorned the idea of Electric Vehicles (EVs) for their inefficiency and cost to consumers, including from Trump.

Over the years, the Biden administration pushed for a nationwide adoption of electric vehicles while cutting out gas-powered cars. The initiative was part of the administration's goal to reduce gas emissions and combat global warming to protect the planet.

Trump signed an Executive Order that ended Biden's EV targets on his first day in office. The order specifically revoked a 2021 Biden plan to have 50 percent of all new vehicles sold in the United States be electric by 2030.