Why RFK Jr.’s MAHA Agenda Won't Actually Make Us Healthier
MAHA milestones to date
At first blush, an idea to make everyone healthy sure does sound great!
“Third, the overhaul will implement the new HHS priority of ending America’s epidemic of chronic illness by focusing on safe, wholesome food, clean water, and the elimination of environmental toxins. These priorities will be reflected in the reorganization of HHS.”
HHS Announces Transformation to Make America Healthy Again
But by now, it should be clear that not only are we going to be healthier, folks will in fact get sicker than they have ever been thanks to RFK Jr and Trump.
Why RFK Jr.’s MAHA Agenda Won't Actually Make Us Healthier
Of course, the MAHA plan was doomed from the get-go.
MAHA is routed in the idea that everyone, especially children, have chronic illnesses that are caused by additives in processed foods and toxins in the environment.
While there has been a rise in lifestyle diseases in the United States, MAHA ignores the idea that obesity and its secondary problems are caused by our eating too much and not exercising enough. So instead of talking about how portion sizes have grown, and we eat out more, MAHA focuses on food dyes.
“However, when we peel back the layers, it becomes evident that MAHA is not about true health at all. Instead, it perpetuates harmful rhetoric rooted in weight stigma, misinformation, and fear-mongering.”
Why the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Movement is Dangerous
MAHA also seems to think that everyone can afford and has access to organic food, has time to exercise, and thinks they need to lose weight.
“My biggest concern about MAHA is it prioritizes superficial, simple solutions and references anecdotal or highly questionable pseudoscience as “evidence” over substantive, peer reviewed science and evidenced-based approaches for very complex problems.”
‘MAHA’ sounds good, but that’s about it
And while MAHA distracts you by asking manufacturers to remove food dyes from foods, the Trump administration relaxes regulations that were making our environment safe! So we will surely end up with more toxins in our air, food, and water!
“The Trump administration’s recent announcement that the Environmental Protection Agency will roll back dozens of regulations protecting air and water quality has drawn praise from industry groups and condemnation from environmentalists. But one stakeholder has been conspicuously absent: the self-described health freedom movement known as MAHA.”
How MAHA Is Helping Poison Americans While Claiming to Save Them
Plus, RFK Jr and Trump are drastically cutting back on research, grants, and programs that were keeping kids healthy.
What Has MAHA Really Done So Far?
While MAHA folks boast about big wins that don’t really exist, let’s see what they have really done so far to make us all healthier.
RFK Jr has:
abruptly and arbitrarily terminated $11,000,000,000 of critical public health funding from States across the country, jeopardizing disease surveillance programs, substance abuse services, emergency preparedness initiatives, and funding to modernize State programs for childhood immunization and access to vaccinations, causing serious harm to public health and leaving States at risk for pandemics and the spread of disease
initiated mass firings at the Administration for Children and Families
fired half of the staff at the Administration for Community Living, which helped older adults and people with disabilities “live independently and participate fully in their communities” and protect the health and safety of individuals living in long-term care facilities
halted the CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention branch
cut state and local Vaccines for Children grants, resulting in cancellation of immunization clinics, including some in the middle of the ongoing measles outbreaks
terminated grants that were funding studies on cancer, HIV prevention, Tb, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, blood disorders, kidney disease, violence prevention among children, dementia risks, and many other chronic disorders
terminated grants that were funding healthcare initiatives to improve maternal mortality
canceled funding for new mRNA vaccine research
stopped funding for at least 40 research grants for projects studying vaccine hesitancy
eliminated the entire Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services which worked to improve access to care for folks in rural areas and for people with disabilities
put the entire staff of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System on leave
laid off the staff from the Maternal Mental Health Hotline and the National Quit Line
laid off the CDC’s infertility experts
gutted the staff from National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention
terminated grants that were working on Strengthening Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control and Improving Patient Safety
cut the support staff for inspectors investigating international food and drug plants
laid off food safety inspectors at the FDA where they had been preparing to increase testing of baby formula for heavy metal contaminants, were testing pet food for bird flu contamination, and food related outbreaks
funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has been significantly cut, and it has been merged into the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA)
funding for Head Start has been cut
funding for school lunch programs have been cut
called for vaccines to be tested against an inert placebo, even though many were and vaccines are already well tested
asked the CDC to look for new treatments for measles, even though it is well known that there are no treatments for measles
has repeatedly tried to create an autism registry
And of course, RFK Jr has downplayed the measles outbreaks and lied about vaccines, even as we soar to record-breaking levels this year.
What will you think he will do if he is allowed to remain in office?
No one is going to get healthier. A few MAHA folks will have fatter wallets, but that’s it…
Oh, and we will have more outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases and other disasters that public health experts were working hard to prevent.
References
HHS Announces Transformation to Make America Healthy Again https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge.html
ESTABLISHING THE PRESIDENT’S
MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN COMMISSION https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/
How MAHA Is Helping Poison Americans While Claiming to Save Them https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/04/02/rfk-jr-s-maha-movement-has-a-fatal-flaw-00263926
Why the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Movement is Dangerous https://asoftplacetolandllc.com/why-the-make-america-healthy-again-maha-movement-is-dangerous/
Mythbusting MAHA’s claims about food and farming https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/mythbusting-mahas-claims-about-food-and-farming
‘MAHA’ sounds good, but that’s about it https://claremont-courier.com/opinion/viewpoint-maha-sounds-good-but-thats-about-it-83013/
A ‘MAHA’ HHS takes shape: Here’s what RFK, Jr. has done during his first month in office https://www.mmm-online.com/news/maha-hhs-rfk-jr-first-month-in-office/
A Focus on MAHA, Lasting Changes to Health Care Programs for Trump’s Second Term https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-focus-on-maha-lasting-changes-to-health-care-programs-for-trump-s-second-term
Trump administration eviscerates maternal and child health programs https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/maternal-child-health-cuts
At Risk: Critical Medicaid Benefits for Moms https://nationalpartnership.org/report/at-risk-critical-medicaid-benefits-for-moms/
“It’s A Bloodbath”: Trump Administration Slashes Millions in NIH Funding for Maternal Health, HIV, and Other Research https://www.protectourcare.org/its-a-bloodbath-trump-administration-slashes-millions-in-nih-funding-for-maternal-health-hiv-and-other-research/
For Our Health warns the proposed HHS budget cuts put Americans at risk https://www.apha.org/news-and-media/news-releases/apha-news-releases/for-our-health-warns-the-proposed-hhs-budget-cuts-put-americans-at-risk
Updates to HHS Restructuring and Funding Cuts: Impact on State and Local Public Health https://www.networkforphl.org/news-insights/updates-to-hhs-restructuring-and-funding-cuts-impact-on-state-and-local-public-health/
I don’t think you understand much about health. A change in diet is a change in what you eat..being the primary factor over how much. Ultra processed foods are the main culprit. You cannot just skip these major health tools..I know it
Is easier to look for a pill or a vaccine..but unfortunately (or fortunately) it is time that Americans take more responsibility for their health..obviously we cannot leave it to “professionals” to do it for us..look at the results..the sickest nation on the globe!!