Washington D.C. – During his speech tonight at the highly “unusual” midterm Republican Convention, Trump health secretary RFK Jr is sure to boast of actions he never followed through on and make more promises he has no intention of keeping. The steady diet of betrayals Donald Trump and Kennedy have dealt MAHA over the past year helps explain why RFK’s approval is in the thirties (37%), public trust in health information from the federal government in the teens (16%), and why MAHA activists have been open to meeting with progressive lawmakers like AOC about their shared values … like actually doing something to rein in cancer-linked pesticides rather than enriching Trump’s big chemical donors.
“Secretary Kennedy and President Trump’s ‘all talk, no action’ routine is getting very stale to voters, and it seems for many MAHA activists, it’s getting insulting,” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “For over a year, RFK Jr. has repeatedly paid lip service to the MAHA agenda only to turn around and sell out to Trump’s poison-peddling corporate donors like makers of flavored vapes, glyphosate and PFAS forever chemicals. Kennedy’s food policy ‘accomplishments’ boil down to historic outbreaks of food-borne illness, even more use of cancer-linked pesticides, and a food pyramid face lift that few families can afford under persistently high Trump prices at the grocery. store But that won’t stop RFK Jr. from seeking praise for empty administration policies that have led few to healthier diets, but many to the ER over preventable illness. Other than Donald Trump, of course, no one pats themselves on the back for accomplishing nothing more than RFK Jr.”
BACKGROUND: RFK Jr.’s MAHA Record Is a Steady Diet of Broken Promises:
- Bringing Back Cancer-Linked Glyphosate: In February, over MAHA objections, Secretary Kennedy unequivocally endorsed Donald Trump’s executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to bring back production of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup herbicide that has been repeatedly linked to cancer.
On June 25th, in the case of Monsanto Company v. Durnell, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of industry and the Trump administration, effectively granting big chemical manufacturers immunity from liability claims involving the cancer-linked glyphosate chemical found in Roundup pesticides. Even as MAHA leaders voiced extreme opposition to letting industry off the hook, the Trump Justice Department filed an amicus brief in support of Monsanto – now owned by Bayer — and Trump’s Principal Deputy Solicitor General argued alongside the chemical maker in court. - Scrapping Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water: In May, RFK Jr personally announced the administration’s latest finger in the eye of the MAHA movement: a major rollback of Biden-era restrictions on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. These chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), “have been linked to cancer, immune system problems and infertility.” The deregulation plan is a major gift to Donald Trump’s big chemical industry mega donors, including DuPont, which was part of a $2 billion PFAS settlement last year and gave $250,000 to Trump’s campaign after the 2024 election.
- All Talk On Synthetic Food Dyes:
- Associated Press, 5.7: “In one of his first major announcements as health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called a news conference to unveil a plan to “phase out” synthetic food dyes. … More than a year later, the FDA has not introduced any of the detailed, scientific regulatory documents needed to establish a safety issue with the half-dozen widely used dyes.”
- Consumer Reports, 4.21: “Despite a number of commitments announced by food industry giants to remove the harmful dyes, some major companies like Coca-Cola, Mondelez, and Unilever have made no concrete commitments. No drug companies have publicly announced plans to remove the dyes from their medications. … The FDA initially called on companies to voluntarily eliminate the use of six petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2026 … However, the FDA’s web page now says that the agency is working with the companies to phase out the dyes by the end of 2027.”
- Fast-Tracking Poisonous Flavored Vapes for Kids: In May, RFK Jr. dutifully followed Donald Trump’s order to push FDA Commissioner Marty Makary out the door for not moving ‘quickly enough’ to approve flavored vapes and nicotine products – a major no-no for MAHA leaders – after a $5 million big tobacco check to a Trump SuperPAC and fancy golf course luncheon between Trump and big tobacco/vape lobbyists.
- All Sizzle and No Steak: Kennedy’s Food Pyramid Overhaul = $1,000 Higher Grocery Bills for Families: A market analysis released in April found Sec. Kennedy’s revised food pyramid is unrealistic for many families by raising annual grocery bills by nearly one-third, or $1,012 more annually. Indeed, grocery prices remain historically high — 2.7 percent higher than a year ago — with beef prices at record levels and fruit and vegetable prices up more than 5 percent over the past year. Appearing on The Bossticks podcast in March, Kennedy vacuously suggested ‘smart’ Americans “eat for $10 a day, three meals a day. Really good, tasty, delicious, wholesome, real food.” The multi-millionaire then offered this out-of-touch advice: “We don’t need more money, we just need to be smarter about how we buy and how we cook.”
- Atrazine Pesticide Rug Pull: Last year, RFK Jr. made bold promises to MAHA moms to restrict the pesticide atrazine linked to cancer, birth defects and low sperm counts. A year later, the Trump U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a ‘review’ concluding atrazine does not pose an extinction risk to any threatened or endangered animals or plants, which “effectively paves the way for continued use,” and continued profits for Trump’s chemical industry donors.
- Gutting Pollution Protections: While MAHA leaders have spoken out about air and water pollutants, a recent report from Climate Power and Protect Our Care details how Donald Trump has eliminated 31 pollution protections that, together, were set to deliver $275 billion in benefits per year and prevent 30,000 deaths annually.
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