Republicans are expressing outrage over the Biden administration’s recent initiative to phase out single-use plastic utensils amid global crises. Earlier this month, the White House announced a plan to eliminate single-use plastics from government facilities and implement tougher regulations on U.S. plastic manufacturers.
Critics argue that this “laughable” move will “raise costs” and harm U.S. plastic suppliers. “The world’s on fire and he’s worried about plastic forks,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) to DailyMail.com, calling the policy “par for the course” for the administration. “I understand plastics are a pollutant, and we need to do a better job with it, but I’m hesitant to say this plastic ban will be a good thing,” Rounds continued. “Black-and-white mandates like this typically backfire. There are things we could do as a government and as individuals to keep improving our environment.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also criticized the effort, labeling it “absurd” and “laughable.” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) speculated on the implications, asking, “What is so bad about plastic forks and spoons? I assume the biggest impact will be at government workplaces, military bases, things like that. Does that mean they’re going to have to use stainless steel silverware everywhere, with a lot of people washing dishes? And what about people who need things to go?”
Lee argued that if the White House wants to reduce waste meaningfully, it should focus on shrinking the size of the government rather than outlawing plastic. “They should shrink the government if they want it to be less of a consumer. The reason it’s the largest consumer is because it employs so many people and is doing so many things it was probably never intended to do,” Lee said. “If they want to reduce the impact of the U.S. government environmentally, they should right-size the government.”
Lee expressed concern that this move might lead to a broader ban on plastic utensils for the public. “I hope this isn’t a step toward a public-facing ban of general applicability.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) acknowledged the importance of addressing plastic pollution in the world’s oceans but was skeptical about the ban’s efficacy. “I’d like to deal with plastics in the ocean problem, but I’m not so sure this is the answer,” Graham told DailyMail.com.
The Biden administration’s plan aims to phase out single-use plastics for food, packaging, and events purchased by the federal government by 2027, to eradicate all single-use plastics from federal operations by 2035.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) described the initiative as “messaging and ridiculousness,” predicting it would raise costs for many. Lankford recalled a previous attempt to ban plastic dinnerware on Capitol Hill under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2007. That plan introduced biodegradable utensils but was overturned by Republicans in 2011, who cited the high costs and impracticality.
“We’ve been through that here at the Capitol,” Lankford said. “When Speaker Pelosi said we’re going to have digestible silverware everywhere, everyone went crazy for it, until they started using it and realized you’re eating your spoon as well, and it doesn’t taste great.” Styrofoam cups and plastic forks returned to Capitol cafeterias once the GOP, led by former Speaker John Boehner, retook the chamber.