Trump Pesticide Order Mandates Risk Study but Bars New Rules or Funding

The order requires the EPA and USDA to compile existing data on residues in produce but stops short of any exposure-reduction targets. Internal administration documents indicate the review must conclude within 180 days using only current budgets. This structure directly undercuts demands from RFK Jr. allies for immediate tolerance reductions on organophosphates and neonicotinoids.

Prior pesticide policy reveals the gap. The 2021 EPA revocation of chlorpyrifos tolerances followed a Ninth Circuit ruling after decades of observational data linking prenatal exposure to neurodevelopmental deficits (see Environmental Health Perspectives 2020 meta-analysis). The new order contains no mechanism to update tolerances even if the review identifies similar signals.

Produce monitoring data from the USDA Pesticide Data Program show that 2024 samples exceeded chronic reference doses for at least one pesticide in 3.2 percent of domestic and 7.8 percent of imported items. Without regulatory follow-through, these percentages are projected to remain unchanged through 2028.

The next required step is an interagency report due December 2026. Absent new legislation or litigation, that report will function as an archive rather than a policy trigger.