Like millions of Americans, Donald Trump likes himself a good hamburger. And like many, he’s concerned about where his next one might be coming from.
(Actually, he’s not: he knows where the White House kitchen is. But still.)
Unlike most people, though, Trump is in a position to do something about it. So he will.
He announced on Tuesday that he’ll issue an order under the Defense Production Act (DPA) forcing meat processing plant to stay open during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, whatever risks that may pose for plant workers.
The order will declare meat-processing plants “critical infrastructure,” Axios reports.
A White House official told Axios that the 5-page order “was driven by concern that certain processing companies, like Tyson Foods, were planning to keep only 20% of facilities open.”
“The vast majority of processing plants could have shut down, reducing processing capacity in the country by as much as 80%,” the official said.
“The order sets the stage for a showdown between America’s meat giants, which have been pressing to reopen plants, and some local officials and labor unions who’ve called for closures in a bid to prevent the virus from spreading,” says Bloomberg News.
Trump said his order will shield meat plants from legal liability if they are sued by employees who contract coronavirus while on the job, reports USA Today.
“We only wish that this administration cared as much about the lives of working people as it does about meat, pork and poultry products,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
“While Trump only mentioned Tyson Foods specifically, he suggested his order would protect other businesses from liability as well,” says USA Today. The order is likely to be challenged in the courts.
Illnesses in the meat-processing industry (at least 6,500 cases, according to one estimate) and sharply reduced demand caused by restaurant closures have disrupted the U.S. food supply chain.
Dairy farmers are dumping milk that can’t be sold, chicken farmers are breaking eggs to reduce supplies, and in some places fruit and vegetables are left to rot in the fields or are plowed under.
Bloomberg says White House General Counsel Pat Cipollone worked with private companies to design the DPA order forcing the plants to stay in operation, along with a separate executive order providing them additional virus testing capacity as well as protective gear for workers.