The White House is expected to release its latest Make America Healthy Again report soon, perhaps within days, with a focus on how to improve children's health.
The recommendations are being written in part by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the expectations are high for change by some, while there is already a concern by some in the medical community about the reforms the White House may soon announce.
KENNEDY'S GROWING LEGACY
Kennedy has already reshaped vaccine advisory boards, eliminated mRNA funding for COVID vaccines, and worked to phase out dyes from America's food supply.
However, some of Kennedy's biggest actions are anticipated in the coming weeks.
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New dietary guidelines are expected this fall, and vaccine lawsuit reform is possible, too.
Additionally, the latest and consequential Make America Healthy Again report is expected to drop in the next several weeks at the latest.
WHAT REPORT WILL FOCUS ON
That report is expected to address everything from pesticides, processed foods, the use of prescription drugs, and TV advertising practices by the food industry that target children.
None should come as a surprise; Kennedy's frustration with the health status quo has been well-documented over the years.
In an interview with Scripps News in August, Kennedy said, "Cheap food is an illusion. If you say this food is cheap, and you get diabetes from it, is it really cheap?"
Both sides of the public health debate are already bracing for what may be included in the final report..
A draft, obtained by Scripps News that has been circulating in the medical community, has angered some longtime Kennedy supporters already for siding with farmers and not going far enough to reform pesticide use.
Moms Across America, a group that has long supported RFK, said in a press release, "It's an embarrassment. It's an insult to the intelligence of the American people."
Meanwhile, some in public health are criticizing the report for going too far.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, is concerned about potential reforms related to increasing whole milk availability in schools and reducing fluoride in water supplies without proper science backing it up.
"I have had a chance to review the draft report that is floating around," Benjamin told Scripps News.
"If you are going to make the recommendation for the nation's children, let's understand what the science is," Benjamin added.
The Scripps News Group reached out to the White House for comment. While they wouldn't confirm a date for release or comment on the draft report that's been circulated, officials say when the new report is made public, they will be "using Gold Standard Science."
"The Administration's first MAHA Report was a historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand what's driving the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children. The Administration's second MAHA report will build on that historic success using Gold Standard Science to identify how we can finally begin to address chronic disease and Make America Healthy Again," White House spokesman Kush Desai tells Scripps News in a statement.
