Donald Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to protect domestic production of glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup and the phosphorus used to make them, framing the move as vital to national and food security.

The order also grants legal immunity to producers complying with it, as Bayer faces tens of thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging its glyphosate products cause cancer—claims the company denies.

Critics, including activists within the Make America Healthy Again movement and environmental groups, condemned the action as prioritizing chemical companies over public health.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has previously criticized glyphosate, said the order strengthens defense readiness and food supply protections, The Guardian has reported.

The decision comes amid ongoing litigation and a pending Supreme Court of the United States hearing related to Bayer’s efforts to limit failure-to-warn lawsuits.