HHS Releases “MAHA” Report on Chronic Diseases in Children

A new report has been published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), one sponsored by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and whose draft leaked in August, to much criticism. As Reuters’ Ahmed Aboulenein, Renee Hickman, and Leah Douglas reported on Tuesday afternoon, September 9, “The U.S. government will address what it sees as an epidemic of chronic illness among American children, calling for changes such as offering full-fat milk in cafeterias and limiting marketing of food and drugs, the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Commission said in its second report on Tuesday. The commission, established by President Donald Trump through an executive order and led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time anti-vaccine crusader, builds on a May commission assessment.”

As the Reuters reporters noted, “That report linked processed foods and over-prescription of medications and vaccines to rising rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, autism, and ADHD. It also alarmed food industry groups for pointing to pesticides like glyphosate, a key weedkiller ingredient that is the subject of thousands of lawsuits, as a potential health risk factor. The latest strategy document calls for changes to school diets, such as offering full-fat milk, and proposes investigating vaccine and prescription drug safety. It notably stops short of recommending changes to U.S. agrochemical approval or regulatory processes, a key demand of some MAHA activists. Rather, the report says the Environmental Protection Agency will work to build public confidence in its pesticide review process and reform its agrochemical approval process to ensure their ‘timely availability’ to farmers.”

The publication of the report was announced in a press release posted to HHS’s website on Tuesday. It began thus: “The Make America Healthy Again Commission today released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic. The strategy outlines targeted executive actions to advance gold-standard science, realign incentives, increase public awareness, and strengthen private-sector collaboration. Chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Commission is tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic diseases.”

Secretary Kennedy stated in the press release that “The Trump Administration is mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic. This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history—realigning our food and health systems, driving education, and unleashing science to protect America’s children and families. We are ending the corporate capture of public health, restoring transparency, and putting gold-standard science—not special interests—at the center of every decision.”

The press release also quoted Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins as stating that “Today’s MAHA Commission report is another historic milestone for our country and a testament to President Trump’s leadership and commitment to Make America Healthy Again. America’s farmers and ranchers are at the heart of the solution — alongside doctors, parents, and communities - to fight chronic disease and protect future generations. Under this Administration, we are not just talking about healthy outcomes; we are delivering them by securing voluntary commitments to remove artificial food dye from major brands, providing technical assistance to States interested in restricting junk food and soda from SNAP, and providing growers with new tools to maintain and improve soil health, including the introduction of a regenerative farming practice pilot program. Together with our partners at HHS and EPA, we are charting a new course, strengthening the health of our families, and ensuring the United States leads the world with the safest, strongest, and most abundant food supply.”

On Tuesday evening, the Washington Post’s Rachel Roubein wrote that “The 19-page report, which is largely in line with a draft document that leaked last month, is unlikely to draw condemnation from the powerful food and agricultural industries that Kennedy has often railed against. It’s unclear how the various initiatives will be funded. Some nutrition experts said the document includes proposals that could improve health, but is light on specifics and regulatory action to mandate change. She quoted Kennedy as stating at the press conference unveiling the report, that ‘We have the most business-friendly president probably in the history’ of the country; ‘But there’s never been a president in my lifetime that is more willing to challenge businesses when they overreach, that is more fearless about challenging entrenched interests in our society.’”

Roubein further wrote that “President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the ‘Make America Healthy Again Commission’ earlier this year and named Kennedy as chair. In a May report, the commission blamed exposure to environmental toxins, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and overprescription of medication as potential drivers of childhood chronic diseases. Some of that report’s suggestions stretched the limits of science, medical experts told The Washington Post, and drew a firestorm online because of signs that artificial intelligence influenced the findings, including garbled scientific references and citing studies that did not exist. The latest report is meant to serve as a policy blueprint for how the Trump administration can address chronic diseases shortening Americans’ lifespans.”

Roubein noted that “Some of the proposals reiterate actions the administration has already announced. The vaccine recommendations follow growing Republican skepticism about Kennedy’s moves to upend the nation’s vaccine infrastructure. Yet Trump and his advisers have viewed Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement as a potent political message and have stood by Kennedy. On Tuesday evening, Trump issued a memorandum to crack down on direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising and to push for companies to disclose more side effects. Democrats said Tuesday that Kennedy’s avowed MAHA agenda was misleading, pointing to his other moves to limit vaccine access, fire career health officials and take other steps that public health experts predict will lead to worse outcomes and less preparedness to fight future infectious-disease outbreaks.”

She also noted that “The report questions some long-standing public health practices, such as the childhood vaccine schedule and fluoridation of drinking water. It also launches a new chronic disease research initiative housed at the National Institutes of Health as well as other efforts aimed at studying electromagnetic radiation, antidepressant prescribing patterns, the microbiome and the root causes of autism.”

Reactions of public health experts

Initial reactions to the report’s release were primarily negative. Eric Mitchell, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance to End Hunger, said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that “We welcome the renewed national focus on improving and promoting nutrition. No child in America should go hungry, and every family should earn enough to put food on the table. There is a great deal more that our country can and must do to ensure that everyone has enough to eat, and the federal government must lead that fight. Unfortunately,” Mitchell said, “the Trump Administration’s actions to address hunger have so far come up short. While Administration officials regularly tout the importance of nutrition and food security programs to promote health and wellbeing, the Administration and Congress recently passed legislation that will kick millions of people off of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program while eliminating nutrition education. We agree that children need healthy food to thrive in school, but the Administration’s recent cancellation of a $1 billion program to provide local farm produce to schools and food banks pushes that goal further away.”

And, he added, “How can we ‘Make America Healthy Again’ unless we renew our commitment to ensuring access to food for children, seniors, veterans and families? We urge the White House to invest in, not discard, proven programs like SNAP, WIC, and school meals. We welcome and look forward to working with all elected officials to ensure food and nutrition security are treated as the critical pillars they are to achieve a healthy and thriving nation.”

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday afternoon, National Public Radio’s Allison Aubrey, Maria, Godoy, and Carmel Wroth spoke with Susan Mayne, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Yale University School of Public Health and former Food and Drug Administration official, who told them that there's a consensus that "we need to address chronic disease in our whole population, including children. There’s a lot of good talk about things they want to do," Mayne told the NPR reporters. "But the plan for how to execute it and the resources for how to get that done are actually going in the opposite direction. And so that concerns me."