Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the Make America Healthy Again movement is urgent because America has become the sickest nation in the world. During a recent appearance on SiriusXM Radio, RFK Jr. noted that the United States now carries the highest chronic disease burden of any nation in history.
He warned that 77 percent of American children cannot qualify for military service, while nearly half of every federal tax dollar goes toward treating chronic disease. RFK Jr. blamed much of the crisis on corporate capture of public health. He said that when he entered HHS, he was handed a 453-page Biden-era dietary guideline document that was written solely to serve food industry lobbyists, not families.
RFK Jr. said his team threw it out, brought in top nutrition experts, and produced a nine-page, science-based guide focused on real health: gut health, the microbiome, inflammation, metabolism, and better food. He said fixing America’s health begins with rejecting the failed food pyramid model and restoring common sense nutrition.
RFK Jr. also pointed to the military, where he says healthier food helped cut daily meal costs from $18.50 per soldier to $10. He argued Americans must reteach themselves to cook real meals at home with their families, rather than eating processed food pumped with preservatives that is literally killing them. RFK Jr. also called GLP-1 medications a potential game-changer for obesity and broader health, while acknowledging side effects that can come from their use.
RFK Jr. has made it clear that he does not oppose pharmaceutical companies necessarily. He just wants to make sure they are held accountable when they do wrong, and the public knows honest information about the usage of their products before deciding whether or not to proceed. RFK Jr.’s message is that America does not need more lobbyist-driven health policy. It is hard to disagree with that. He is doing an incredible job shaking up the public health status quo as HHS Secretary.
