Trump To Sign Executive Order To Keep Meat Processing Plants Open During Coronavirus

President Trump said Tuesday that an impending executive order will use the Defense Production Act to keep pork processing plants open, despite concerns over coronavirus exposure. Trump told reporters about the order in an Oval Office meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“We're going to sign an executive order today, I believe, and that'll solve any liability problems,” Trump said. “We’re working with Tyson, which is one of the big companies in that world. And we always work with the farmers. There is plenty of supply, there is plenty of, as you know, there’s plenty of supply — it’s distribution and we will probably have that today solved.”

Trump’s latest executive order will classify the processing plants as a critical part of the infrastructure. It will allow the government to supply plants with new protective gear for employees to wear while at work. The administration will also work with the Department of Labor to establish guidelines on who should be exempt from working due to coronavirus and the practices once the plants are reopened for workers to follow.

“If you take the precautions with those that are older workers, the White House believes there’s an ample supply of workers fitting a profile that is younger and healthier to adequately keep working at a low risk,” one source told the New York Post. “This assessment is based on consultation with experts in the field as well as medical guidance.”

Meat plants have proven to be a hotbed for coronavirus exposure since the start of the pandemic. While companies like Tyson have tried to keep facilities open, employees and local unions have pushed to have them closed while the pandemic is ongoing.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said at least 13 plants had closed since March that had been hotbeds for coronavirus exposure. However, this has contributed to a disruption of the global food supply.

“A protracted pandemic crisis could quickly put a strain on the food supply chains, a complex web of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, shipping, retailers and more,” said the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, endorsed the decision in a Twitter posting.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was more skeptical and critical of the decision.

Trump's decision drew the ire of labor unions.

“We only wish that this administration cared as much about the lives of working people as it does about meat, pork and poultry products,” Wholesale and Department Store Union’s Stuart Appelbaum told Bloomberg.