History shows that some revolutions begin with a midnight ride, while others start with the crunching sound of a plastic straw working its way to the bottom of a cold soda.
This is winning: July 21, 2025, is the date that the Biden administration's paper straw mandate was officially scrapped. President Donald Trump's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced the rule ending federal agencies' ability to purchase and promote those lovely, flimsy, soggy substitutes that we've all come to hate.
Yes, this only applies to federal institutions for now, but hopefully, all other agencies will follow suit.
This wasn't a simple regulatory rollback; it was a major one! President Trump made a declaration that the American people are once again allowed to make everyday choices. Yes, this may sound petty, but its implications stretch far beyond your cup; it's about WHO decides the details of YOUR life? You, or some bureaucrat in D.C. who's never had to sip through soggy pulp.
Trump's move was a small but very potent act of liberation. It's precisely these small wins marking the path out of soft tyranny.
The Straw Heard 'Round the Cafeteria
In 2021, President Joe Biden, or whoever was in charge of the government at the time, announced that one of his environmental legacy items would be to phase out single-use plastics across all federal agencies by 2035. What this directive meant was that we wouldn't be encumbered with plastic forks, cling wrap, Styrofoam coffee cups, and certainly straws. At least the ones that worked.
Replacing them were paper straws, replacing the old, reliable ones. The alternative straws disintegrated halfway through a drink or even arrived at your table already soggy. Worse than being a functional failure, they were forced into our lives whether we wanted them or not. We didn't vote for or ask for them. Someone at the EPA, however, located in the bowels of Washington, decided they knew better than we did.
As it often has, many federal decisions were presented as moral. And, as it often has been, the science was off.
In 2023, Food Additives & Contaminants published a peer-reviewed study that found 90 percent of paper straws contained the so-called "forever chemicals," PFAS, which are linked to various health issues, including hormone disruption and cancer.
In case you missed it, in the name of protecting the environment, our government handed out health hazards.
President Trump finally scrapped these rules.
“No More Paper Straws”: A Rule Repealed with a Purpose
The new rule issued by Trump's OMB rescinded the mandate, which followed his February executive order that banned the forced procurement or promotion of paper straws by federal agencies. Trump's administration called the paper straw campaign "a classic example of performance over practicality."
In other words, Biden's administration made a show of caring while ignoring real-world consequences.
In other words, they made a show of caring while ignoring real consequences.
“Federal agencies shall not purchase, promote, or mandate the use of paper straws unless specifically required by statute.”
The order is short, clear, and unambiguous, the kind of leadership voters remember; it wasn't based on a panel, study, or recommendation. An honest to God decision, backed by research.
Biden's push for paper straws increased the annual procurement costs by over $6 million, according to the Department of Agriculture, for an inferior product that underperformed and raised health concerns.
While the data was damning enough, the condescending tone—"we don't care if it works or not, it's good for you" — really made the mandate unbearable.
Freedom in the Small Choices
This is the perfect metaphor for the modern culture war. One side believes in pushing us towards what the state decided is morally right. In contrast, the other side treats us like adults and lets us make our own decisions.
President Trump knows the value in symbolic battles such as these, because the truth is that they're not just metaphorical.
Americans have watched their autonomy erode for years through subtle policies, such as climate change, COVID-19 kabuki theater, gas stove bans, mandatory diversity training, and ESG frameworks, each sold as a minor adjustment without a vote or voice. They're just another quiet rule made by people who believe their job is to guide you.
This straw fight punched itself through that fog of MSM noise by grabbing headlines. Not because of what it took away, but because of what it restored.
For Many, Plastic Straws Weren’t Optional
Lost in that fog is something far serious: Accessibility. Paper straws weren't only annoying; they're dangerous for Americans with disabilities. For people with ALS, Parkinson's, or post-stroke mobility issues, plastic straws are essential because they bend, hold their shape, and allow people to drink independently.
The ADA flagged the Biden rule early on, but they were ignored.
Accessibility is at the forefront of the Trump administration's new directive. The official rule explicitly recognizes that medical and disability accommodations were being sacrificed for the sake of performative environmentalism.
Authentic leadership isn't making performative corrections; it responds to real people.
The Numbers Don’t Lie, But Bureaucrats Often Do
Here’s what the numbers show:
- Paper straws cost 300 to 400 percent more than plastic ones.
- They don’t degrade any better when laced with PFAS.
- They are often imported from countries with worse environmental standards.
- Their production requires more energy and water than plastic production.
- And despite all that, they fall apart in your mouth.
In short, they’re a bad deal pretending to be a moral win.
And yet, under the Biden White House, none of that mattered. The point wasn’t results; it was appearance. Paper straws weren’t meant to work. They were meant to signal that you were a better person for tolerating them.
Trump blew that charade to pieces.
Regulatory Theater: One Straw, a Hundred Rules
Biden’s original rule was just one thread in a massive green bureaucracy Gordian Knot. Plus, it had tentacles like any deep swamp creature should.
- General Services Administration mandates
- USDA cafeteria enforcement
- EPA waste compliance regulations
- Department of Interior procurement audits
All of that, just to remove a product that costs pennies and functions flawlessly. It became a full-time industry of guilt.
Trump’s new OMB rule instructs agencies to unwind these efforts, restoring discretion to offices, contractors, and public accommodations. It doesn’t forbid paper straws. It simply removes the mandate, thereby restoring freedom.
That’s the difference between Trump and the Left: the former believes you should choose, and the latter thinks they should choose for you.
Culture War? You Bet It Is
Legacy media has already tried mocking this rule, sneering that Trump was making too big a deal over such a “minor issue.”
That’s rich, coming from the same media class that celebrated Greta Thunberg for sailing across the Atlantic in a plastic-lined yacht.
But here’s the more profound truth: Trump’s decision wasn’t petty; it was tactical.
Every inch of your life, from your stove, to your straw, to your light bulb, has become a battleground. The Left made it that way. Trump simply refuses to retreat.
They’ll say it’s just a straw, but they know better. They know the second you reclaim even a small piece of freedom, the façade of total control starts to crack.
What Comes Next?
According to internal reports from the White House Domestic Policy Council, agencies have 30 days to issue revised guidance and 180 days to ensure full compliance across all procurement platforms. This includes cafeterias in national parks, veterans hospitals, federal prisons, and military installations.
That’s right. The next time a Navy recruit grabs a soda in the mess hall, he won’t be punished with paper that melts in your mouth, but not your hand. He’ll drink like a normal human being, in peace.
I made up a saying that my daughters can repeat back to you ad nauseam: don't pay attention to the mountain, just the step in front of you.
In other words, small fight, big win.
Final Thoughts: A Crunch You Can Hear All the Way to the Swamp
This wasn’t about plastic: It was about permission, about giving people back a sliver of normalcy that had been quietly taken away from them.
And if that seems like a small victory to you, ask yourself: how many other small things have been stolen from your daily life without your consent?
Trump just gave one of them back.
Now the fight continues, with clarity, with purpose.
And with one glorious slurp.
America’s on a new path. Don’t rely on old media.
President Trump is delivering on promises, but legacy outlets won’t give him an inch. PJ Media tells the real story. Join as a VIP now with promo code FIGHT and take 60% off, helping us spotlight the truth behind the policy wins.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member