Biden declares war on… plastic

Hurricane Debby is barreling through Florida, America’s economy is crashing, US troops were injured in Iraq Monday and conflict in the Middle East is on the brink of a dangerous escalation — sounds like the perfect time to ban the use of plastic cutlery, right?! 

Instead of addressing the multiple crises the nation is currently grappling with, the Biden administration decided it was time federal government workers stopped using plastic forks.

The Biden administration announced it is launching a plan to “phase out” the “procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035,” according to the White House. 

The plastic includes “plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery and disposable plastic bags.”

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

“The world’s on fire and he’s worried about plastic forks,” Republican senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota told the Daily Mail. His Senate colleague Roger Wicker of Mississippi called Biden’s efforts “laughable” and “absurd,” saying the ban will most likely backfire, raising costs and hurting US plastic suppliers. 

The US government is one of the largest consumers of goods because of how many people it employs. The government should shrink its size and reduce the consumer rather than outlawing the product used, said Senator Wicker.

And banning government facilities from using plastic cutlery will just force them to use stainless steel, which means washing more dishes and using more water.

This ban is nothing new, though, according to Oklahoma senator James Lankford, who recalls a previous attempt to ban plastic cutlery on Capitol Hill during his time in the House from 2011-2015. Pelosi first introduced the “Green the Capitol” initiative back in 2007, which was scrapped in 2011 when Republicans regained control of the House.

The decision could also greatly affect global markets since the US is the single largest buyer of goods and services in the world. 

If only we cared about our real problems as much as what kind of cutlery we’re using… maybe the war on plastic can wait, Joe.