“Make America Healthy Again” was RFK’s battle cry in his run for president and now in his new position at DHHS. MAHA is also a few other things: two activist organizations, MAHA Action and the MAHA PAC; President Trump’s order establishing the MAHA Commission; state level activism; and a general social movement. On April 29, Kennedy’s DHHS released a report on its actions in the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Today we review key parts of this report, along with media coverage of the MAHA movement.
On February 14, President Trump created the Make America Healthy Again Commission, with a goal of ending the epidemic of chronic childhood disease. On May 24, the MAHA Commission is submitting an initial Make our Children Healthy Again Assessment and Strategy, which will report on potential causes of this epidemic. And then on August 12 the Commission will report to the President a Make our Children Healthy Again Strategy for healthy kids. Highlights of the 100-day report include:
Phasing Out Petroleum-based Dyes from our Food
Our health freedom includes freedom from unwanted toxins in our food. Kennedy’s plan is to phase out artificial dyes in favor of natural alternatives.
Autism Epidemic Action
At his April 16 press conference, Secretary Kennedy highlighted the latest CDC data showing that “autism prevalence in the U.S. has increased from 1 in 36 children to 1 in 31.” Noting that this is not only an increase in diagnosis, Kennedy has pronounced autism a public health emergency.
Overhauling FDA’s “Generally Recognized as Safe” Designation
March 10th Kennedy directed FDA to modify the rules that allow food companies to declare new ingredients, “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS. The Secretary said that this GRAS designation is being overused, and he has directed FDA and NIH to fix how they evaluate ingredients to make it easier to see which ones might be making us sick.
Updating the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines
Per the report, new diet guidelines will be, “MAHA-focused: Will be a nationally recognized vehicle to promote MAHA priorities to improve nutrition for all Americans and reduce the burden of chronic disease.” Most experts think that diet is a huge factor in creating illness, and this 10th Edition of the Guidelines will be a step toward national wellness.
MAHA Tour and State Visits
Secretary Kennedy has been on the road, supporting MAHA-related laws at the state level. On March 28 he was in West Virginia where the governor had signed a bill banning seven kinds of dyes. April 7, RFK and EPA’s Administrator Lee Zelden highlighted Utah’s actions to ban fluoride and some dyes and to preclude buying soda with SNAP benefits. Next the Secretary was in Arizona on April 8 and Indiana on April 15. The latter state’s Governor Mike Braun issued 9 MAHA-related Executive Orders. These included a ban on use of SNAP benefits for candy, soft drinks, and junk food.
Radical Transparency
Open access to information is a key to individual health freedom. Secretary Kennedy is pushing for radical transparency in health agencies. HHS has launched a Radical Transparency website to give the public information about conflicts of interest of the members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). And the Chemical Contaminants Transparency Tool, is a searchable FDA site which lists the contaminant level in foods to help defend the public health.
Political Realignment?
On May 3, USA Todayreported on the nationwide nature of the MAHA movement and how it is upending some traditional left-right divides. For example, MAHA Action is opposing a Republican bill in Tennessee that would give liability protection to pesticide firms. And MAHA is backing California Democrats on bills involving improved food quality for inmates and limiting use of glyphosate. Likewise, MAHA is backing the Democrat-led California Farm to School Program to improve student nutrition and a proposed bill in New Jersey banning the sale and application of the insecticide chlorpyrifos.
To quote Del Bigtree, “The entire idea of natural health and natural living and getting chemicals out of food used to be completely a liberal perspective,” he said. “And now, suddenly in one of the most amazing shifts we’ve ever seen, we’re seeing dyes being removed by a Republican administration.”
Now is the Time to Act!
USA Today also reports that natural health is “considered less ‘woo-woo’ now,” according to Emily Stembridge, a 39-year-old mother in Lehi, Utah. She added, “Now it’s kind of trendy, and so, it [is] the time to strike.” With the MAHA movement creating a cultural moment where questioning the medical establishment is allowed, now is the right time to act for health freedom.
We applaud this work to enhance health for people of all ages. NHFC and our sister organization, National Health Freedom Action (NHFA), supports actions for good nutrition, clean air and water, and removing toxic substances from our environment. NHFA is working to pass state legislation to ensure the right of practitioners to practice the healing arts, and to ensure these practitioners are accessible to the public. We are also working to ensure that people can make their own decisions about their health care, including regarding vaccinations.
