Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his outspoken advocacy for health reform, has laid out an ambitious plan to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA). The environmental attorney and potential Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary or Health Czar in a second Donald Trump administration is tackling corruption within federal health agencies, particularly the FDA and CDC.
Kennedy was recently asked whether his initiative to clear corruption would extend to top-level federal workers within the FDA and CDC. His response highlighted his intention to target specific departments and workers who are not meeting their responsibilities.
“In some categories, I would say,” Kennedy responded, acknowledging that certain employees and entire divisions, such as the Nutrition Departments at the FDA, need to be eliminated. He criticized the agency’s failure to protect public health, particularly when it comes to the food supply. “There are entire departments like Nutrition Department at FDA that have to go. They’re not doing their job, they’re not protecting our kids,” Kennedy explained.
He pointed to the alarming disparity between food products in the United States and other countries. “Why do we have Fruit Loops in this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients? And you go to Canada, it’s got 2 or 3,” he remarked, underscoring his concerns over the FDA’s role in overseeing food safety and nutrition standards.
While Kennedy expressed his desire to eliminate corruption within these agencies, he clarified that he does not intend to eliminate entire agencies outright, especially without congressional approval. “To eliminate the agencies, as long as it requires congressional approval, I wouldn’t be doing that,” he said. His focus is on removing the corruption that he believes has taken root within these institutions.
Kennedy’s approach to fixing the FDA and other health agencies is grounded in his decades-long track record of legal battles against corporate corruption. “This is what I’ve been doing for 40 years. I’ve sued all those agencies. I have a PhD in corporate corruption, and that’s what I do,” Kennedy stated, emphasizing his belief that reform is possible within the existing structures.
He also argued that once the corruption is eradicated and science-based decisions are restored, Americans will have greater autonomy and health outcomes will improve. “Once they’re not corrupt, once Americans are getting good science and are allowed to make their own choices, they’re going to get a lot healthier,” Kennedy concluded.