In a move to tackle soaring grocery bills, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on December 7, 2025, launching specialized task forces within the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Dubbed the Food Supply Chain Security Task Forces, these units aim to root out anti-competitive behavior, price-fixing schemes, and the shadowy influence of foreign-owned corporations on America’s food system. The announcement underscores his campaign pledge to slash inflation and shield consumers from what he calls “illicit collusion” in the agribusiness world.
The order paints a stark picture of vulnerabilities in the U.S. food chain. It highlights how “anti-competitive behavior, especially when carried out by foreign-controlled corporations, threatens the stability and affordability of America’s food supply.” Trump’s directive calls for swift investigations into criminal collusion and monopolistic tactics that jack up costs for everyday Americans. Within 180 days, the task forces must report findings to Congress, followed by a year-long review of potential new regulations. This isn’t mere rhetoric; it’s a direct response to Trump’s earlier social media blast on November 7, where he demanded DOJ action against beef packers accused of price manipulation by “majority foreign-owned” entities.
At the heart of the executive order lies a damning acknowledgment of past scandals. “In recent years certain companies in the American food supply chain have even settled civil suits accusing them of price fixing for tens of millions of dollars,” the document states. It doesn’t stop at meat processors, which have long faced scrutiny for alleged cartel-like behavior during the pandemic. The order explicitly flags other critical sectors: seed, fertilizer, and equipment. These inputs form the backbone of American farming, yet they “have similar vulnerabilities to price fixing and other anti-competitive practices.” Think of the handful of global giants dominating the seed market, like Bayer-Monsanto, or fertilizer behemoths such as Nutrien and CF Industries, which control vast swaths of supply. Equipment makers round out the list, where consolidation has left farmers with few options and high bills.
This focus on inputs is welcome news for watchdogs like AgroWars, who’ve long warned about how monopolies squeeze producers at every turn. But here’s the rub: the order sidelines the very agency that knows farmers’ pain best. Despite naming seed, fertilizer, and equipment as hotspots for foul play, there’s no mention of a role for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) in these task forces. The USDA, with its deep dives into rural economics and on-the-ground data from producers, could illuminate how these practices hammer family farms. Instead, the probe stays in the hands of antitrust enforcers, potentially overlooking the ripple effects on those who till the soil. As one ag economist quipped in a recent panel, “DOJ might bust a cartel, but without USDA input, we risk treating symptoms while ignoring the farmer’s fever.”
This omission stings especially amid Trump’s broader ag agenda. The administration has floated $12 million in direct aid to offset input costs and weather volatility, a lifeline for struggling operations battered by trade wars and climate whiplash. Yet, without cracking down on price-fixing in seeds and fertilizers, that money risks becoming a windfall for the very monopolists under the microscope. Farmers shell out up to 20 percent of their budgets on these essentials, per USDA data. Elevated prices from anti-competitive deals mean every aid dollar passes straight through producers’ hands into corporate coffers, propping up profit margins rather than bolstering farm resilience. It’s like plugging a leaky bucket with one hand while the other stays tied: relief feels real until the next bill arrives.
Trump’s task forces could change that calculus if they dig deep. By targeting foreign control, which the order links to national security risks, the DOJ and FTC might expose how overseas ownership amplifies domestic gouging. Meatpacking provides a blueprint; four firms handle 85 percent of U.S. beef, leading to billions in alleged overcharges. Extending that scrutiny to inputs could force structural reforms, like breaking up seed patents or enforcing fair-trade clauses on fertilizer imports. AgroWars urges the White House to loop in USDA pronto, ensuring investigations don’t just chase headlines but deliver farm-level fixes.
For now, this executive order signals resolve in the fight against food inflation. As Trump put it in the White House fact sheet, he’s “fighting every day to reverse Biden’s inflation crisis and bring down sky-high grocery prices.” If the task forces follow through, consumers and farmers alike might finally see relief at the pump, the processor, and the planter. But true victory demands addressing the full chain, inputs included, before aid becomes just another subsidy in disguise.