Will the Trump administration “Make America Healthy Again”?
We’ll have to wait a little bit longer to find out how they plan to achieve that goal. The White House was expected to release recommendations today on improving diets and taking other steps to improve Americans’ health. But a CNN report says the plan is now due “in weeks,” with a goal of releasing it before the end of the month.
The pending recommendations will follow a White House report from May concluding that poor diets, environmental toxins, lack of physical activity and other factors have created a health crisis for America’s children.
What remains to be seen is whether the plan to “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, will actually support healthy diets and reduce exposures to harmful substances in our air and water.
Early actions by President Donald Trump’s team aren’t promising.
Despite Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raising concerns about food chemicals, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t moved aggressively to ban harmful substances from what Americans eat, or address the problems with ultra-processed food.
The Environmental Protection Agency under Administrator Lee Zeldin has boasted about its deregulatory agenda, which includes reversing greenhouse gas limits on power plants and cars, an intent to undo long-sought limits on the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in drinking water and even allowing polluters to ask for exemptions from air pollution limits.
Weaker regulations for companies will inevitably mean more contamination of our air, land and water, harming the environment as well as public health. It’s hardly MAHA.
That’s why the eagerly anticipated recommendations will show whether the president and his agencies truly want to improve Americans’ health. EWG is waiting to see:
- Will the plan call for tackling the health risks of pesticides?
- Will the FDA move to ban harmful chemicals in food?
- Will the administration restore funding for key food programs?
- Will the FDA seek to review chemicals before they’re allowed in food?
- Will the plan outline steps to reduce exposure to environmental pollutants?
Just like the timing of the recommendations, you probably shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for positive answers to any of these questions.
