MAHA: What We All Need From Congress

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country

President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and their teams are moving at an amazing pace to define and advance the MAHA agenda as defined in these two key planning documents:

Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment

Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy

The assessment identified four potential drivers behind the rise in childhood chronic disease that present the clearest opportunities for progress:

Poor Diet: The American diet has shifted dramatically toward highly processed foods, leading to nutrient depletion, increased caloric intake, and exposure to potentially harmful or unhealthy additives. Over 60% of children’s calories now come from highly processed foods, contributing to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

Chemical Exposure: Children are exposed to an increasing number of synthetic chemicals, some of which have been linked to developmental issues and chronic disease. The current regulatory framework should be continually evaluated to ensure that chemicals and other exposures do not interact together to pose a threat to the health of our children.

Lack of Physical Activity and Chronic Stress: American children are experiencing unprecedented levels of inactivity, screen use, sleep deprivation, and chronic stress. These factors significantly contribute to the rise in chronic diseases and mental health challenges.

Overmedicalization: There is a concerning trend of overprescribing medications to children, often driven by conflicts of interest in medical research, regulation, and practice. This has led to unnecessary treatments and long-term health risks.

All indicators show that America’s health is failing, and the American people know we all need a dramatically new approach to healthcare in this country.

I have recently reviewed and summarized the remarkable progress achieved by Team Trump to date in a recent Substack and speech, but still, I hear rumblings of discontent from armchair quarterbacks, nattering nabobs of negativism, and a wide range of trolls, bots, and chaos agents. The complaints often read something along the lines of “why haven’t (you/ACIP/RFK/Trump) done something about (fill in the blank) yet??!!”

Aside from being (in some cases intentionally) demoralizing and, in others, infuriating, a significant fraction of these complaints seems to stem from a fundamental lack of understanding of how the US Federal Government works. In other words, the checks-and-balances thing. Congress makes laws and many policies, and appropriates funding to carry them out. The Executive branch (POTUS, Secretary HHS, etc., and their staff) does the performance work. The US System and Constitution provide the Executive branch with quite a bit of “freedom to operate,” but the Executive branch and its staff still have to comply with congressional laws.

Despite the complaints of recent paid protests and protesters, Trump is a Constitutional President, not a Monarch. There are limits to what can be achieved even within such a muscular Executive, but if the MAHA agenda is to fulfill its potential, particularly past the upcoming midterms, Congress will have to act on a number of key items.

What is the MAHA legislative agenda?

Over the last month, I have called and sent text inquiries to many who are either inside or close to the administration, posing this question, and in most cases, what came back was some version of “good question, I don’t know the answer.” The reason for my asking is that I have been asked to travel and speak to various groups, including meetings involving both conservative legislators and political donors. What I was concerned about was that I could find no clear summary of MAHA legislative objectives, and I did not want to be speculating about such matters without any information on what the Secretary or President themselves see as their priorities.

Recently, I received a comprehensive summary of the MAHA legislative agenda from a reliable source, and that is the basis for the reporting and summary below. I ask that you consider this a first draft summary of action items and strategic objectives to be accomplished between now and the midterm elections.

If MAHA and MAGA are not able to retain or (ideally) strengthen their positions in House and Senate, then it is going to be very difficult for Secretary Kennedy, President Trump, and the all-of-government MAHA Commission to maintain current momentum. We need our friends and supporters in both the House and Senate to step up and play ball.

What can citizens reading this do?

Now is the time to call and write to your Congressional Representatives and Senators. Posting on X while referencing their accounts is nice, but there is no substitute for actually calling, leaving a message, or writing a letter. Let them know that the MAHA agenda is essential to you, and that you want it to be a priority for them. At a minimum, please consider forwarding this Substack, along with a cover letter, to your congressional Representative and Senators. Now, let’s proceed to the MAHA Legislative agenda.

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Midterm Political Action

Congressional Republicans have a generational opportunity to expand the GOP's voting base by embracing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. This overwhelmingly popular initiative can give the party a much-needed, winning healthcare message heading into the 2026 midterms.

Leading into the midterm elections, if Republican Candidates, Representatives, and Senators feature MAHA messaging in their campaigns and public messaging, and if MAHA supporters win, then the Secretary and President can claim a clear MAHA mandate at the ballot box, and we will all have a much greater chance of building on the current momentum to continue to advance the MAHA goals and objectives outlined in the MAHA Commission reports.

The Political Power of Health Care

Health care has long shaped America’s political landscape. Campaigning on repealing Obamacare helped Republicans win control of the House in 2010, the Senate in 2014, and the White House in 2016. Half of Trump voters in 2016 supported fully repealing the Affordable Care Act, and another 29% wanted to scale it back.

However, after the GOP’s failure to repeal and replace Obamacare in 2017, health care became a political liability for Republicans. In 2018, it was the top issue for swing voters, helping Democrats flip 41 House seats—the biggest gain since Watergate. The trend continued into 2020, when the pandemic further energized Democratic turnout.

The MAHA Effect

By 2024, suburban women were skeptical of the Republican party. However, President Trump’s embrace of Secretary Kennedy and the “MAHA moms” helped him win the most votes in American electoral history. Approximately 4-6% of former non-Trump voters cited MAHA as the reason for switching their support to him in 2024.

Looking ahead to 2026, pollsters agree: suburban women will decide the midterms. To win them over, Republicans must embrace the MAHA message.

It’s no accident Secretary Kennedy is the most popular cabinet secretary. The HHS agenda he’s leading is resonating across party lines. The Center for Excellence in Polling published there’s overwhelming support for MAHA policies:

- 95% of Americans want fresh fruits and vegetables with every school lunch

- 96% support warning labels on foods with high levels of chemicals

- 93% say bureaucrats should disclose ties with drug and food companies

- 88% want clinical proof of COVID booster efficacy before the FDA approves

- 69% support banning junk food like soda and candy in food stamps

A Winning Message for Congress

The work happening at HHS and across the administration provides Republicans with a rare opportunity: a popular, bipartisan health care message that can unite voters and strengthen their position heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, Secretary Kennedy has the authority to Make America Healthy Again and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

That work includes:

• Launching Operation Stork Speed, which promises to make infant formula safe and nutritious

• Convincing companies to remove petroleum-based food dyes from America’s food and medications by approving naturally sourced colors

• Closing the “Generally Recognized As Safe” loophole that allowed untested ingredients and chemicals into the food supply

• Working to find the root causes of autism

• Restoring trust in vaccine safety

• Updating the dietary guidelines

• Working with USDA to reform SNAP

• Restoring radical transparency by publishing potential conflicts of interest of those serving on committees

How Congress can work with the Administration to keep advancing the MAHA agenda

The Trump administration has only just begun its work to Make America Health Again. To continue, it needs Congressional support. Earlier this year, President Trump signed Executive Order 14212, creating the President’s MAHA Commission and delivering a strategy to “end childhood chronic disease” by restructuring federal responses, eliminating counterproductive practices, and introducing new solutions.

Below are the details and key policy reforms contained within that strategy. Each one could be codified or bolstered with the help of Congress.

They are grouped into five categories: 1) Food, nutrition, and consumer protection reforms, 2) Public health, medical, and regulatory systems reforms, 3) Agricultural, environmental, and process deregulation, 4) Agency restructuring and governance reforms, and 5) Oversight and systemic transparency reforms.

Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Protection Reforms

1. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) Reform – HHS & USDA

   1. Update the 2025–2030 DGAs to be concise and data-driven.

   2. Reform future DGA development processes, advisory committee structures, and scientific review protocols.

1. Food Dyes Regulation – FDA & USDA

   1. Limit or prohibit petroleum-based food dyes (FD&C certified colors).

   2. Promote domestic production of natural color plant sources.

   3. Streamline color additive petition approvals for natural colorants.

2. Post-Market Review of Food Additives – FDA

   1. Create a systematic, evidence-based process for ongoing reassessment of additives, colorants, GRAS substances, and unintentional contaminants.

3. Definition of “Ultra-Processed Foods” – HHS, USDA, FDA

   1. Develop a government-wide definition to support research, labeling, and potential policy action.

4. Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling – FDA

   1. Revise proposed labeling rule based on DGAs and public comment.

   2. Work toward a final rule for clear consumer nutrition information.

5. GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) Reform – FDA

   1. Close the “GRAS loophole.”

   2. Create a mandatory GRAS notification program.

   3. Increase public transparency for substances in the food supply.

6. Food Allergy Transparency – FDA

   1. Require clearer disclosure of allergens (e.g., gluten, Celiac-related ingredients).

   2. Develop guidance on diagnostic and therapeutic innovation for food allergies.

7. Infant Formula Standards – FDA

   1. Modernize nutrient requirements.

   2. Increase testing for heavy metals and contaminants.

   3. Encourage new, high-quality formula innovation.

8. Breastfeeding Support – HHS & USDA

   1. Expand policies supporting breastfeeding mothers.

   2. Develop a safe donor milk framework across federal programs.

9. Healthy Food in Hospitals – CMS & CDC

   1. Update regulations to ensure hospitals provide healthy meal options.

   2. Encourage nutritional transparency in healthcare facilities.

10. Improving Food Served to Veterans – VA

    1. Adopt updated DGAs for all VA meals and food services.

11. USDA Nutrition Program Alignment – USDA

    1. Prioritize whole, unprocessed foods across all 16 USDA nutrition programs.

12. SNAP Reform – USDA

    1. Support state waivers to restrict junk food purchases.

    2. Introduce MAHA Boxes with healthy, whole foods for SNAP participants.

13. Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Improvements – USDA

    1. Enhance EFNEP programming and service delivery methods.

14. Head Start & Early Childhood Nutrition – ACF & USDA

    1. Integrate DGAs into CACFP and school meal programs.

    2. Promote nutrition standards in child care through ACF–USDA coordination.

Public Health, Medical, and Regulatory System Reforms

1. Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Drug Advertising Oversight – FDA, HHS, FTC, DOJ

   1. Increase enforcement on misleading or harmful DTC pharmaceutical marketing, including by telehealth firms and social media influencers.

2. Guidelines to Limit Marketing of Unhealthy Foods to Children – HHS & FTC

   1. Develop voluntary or regulatory guidelines to restrict misleading marketing of unhealthy foods targeting children.

3. Conflicts of Interest Reforms – HHS, FDA, NIH, EPA, USDA

   1. Public disclosure of research grants, consulting payments, and financial ties.

   2. Enforce recusal requirements for advisory members with financial conflicts.

   3. Create a public database of researcher payments (NIH).

   4. Require annual disclosure of all current and pending research support (USDA).

4. Agency Foundation Capture Review – HHS

   1. Audit FDA, CDC, and NIH participation in projects funded through private foundations (e.g., CDC Foundation, Reagan-Udall Foundation).

   2. Increase transparency and establish new guardrails.

5. Open Access Payment Reform – NIH

   1. Reduce excessive payments to scientific journals for open-access publishing.

6. Gold Standard Science Framework – NIH

   1. Implement mechanisms to strengthen systematic reviews, replication incentives, and peer-review quality.

   2. Develop a “Scholars Program” for improving scientific integrity.

7. Medical School Accreditation Reform – HHS & CMS

   1. Introduce competition among medical accreditors.

   2. Increase nutrition and lifestyle medicine education in curricula.

8. Water Quality, Fluoride, and PFAS – CDC, NIH, EPA, FDA

   1. Update fluoride and PFAS safety recommendations.

   2. Remove unsafe, unapproved child products.

   3. Evaluate supplement and dosage regulation.

9. Vaccine Framework – White House DPC & HHS

   1. Modernize childhood vaccine schedules.

   2. Improve vaccine injury tracking.

   3. Ensure transparency, scientific integrity, and medical freedom.

10. Price Transparency Implementation – HHS, Treasury, Labor

    1. Fully enforce executive order mandates for hospital and insurer price transparency.

11. Medicaid Quality Metrics – CMS

    1. Develop metrics tied to health improvements (e.g., nutrition, fitness indicators).

    2. Promote measurable outcomes over service volume.

12. Medicaid Care Safeguards – CMS

    1. Strengthen prior authorization for pediatric prescribing (e.g., ADHD).

    2. Address overuse of psychotropic medications.

13. CHIP Wellness Integration – CMS

    1. Promote prevention and wellness initiatives in state CHIP programs.

14. Direct Primary Care (DPC) Promotion – HHS

    1. Educate families on new HSA and insurance flexibilities allowing DPC participation.

Agricultural, Environmental, and Process Deregulation

1. Agriculture Deregulation – USDA

   1. Streamline organic certification and reduce costs for small farms.

   2. Simplify CSA and direct-to-consumer sales regulations.

   3. Digitize and simplify USDA application processes.

   4. Improve farm credit access and permitting.

   5. Ease regulatory burdens for small and family farms.

2. Farm-to-School Streamlining – USDA

   1. Improve grant processes to connect local farmers with schools.

3. Food Deregulation – HHS, FDA, USDA

   1. Lift restrictions on whole milk in schools.

   2. Remove mandatory reduced-fat requirements.

   3. Enable small dairy processing and sales.

   4. Ease zoning for mobile grocery units.

   5. Expedite grocery permits in underserved areas.

   6. Update or remove obsolete food standards of identity.

   7. Allow regulatory flexibility in food manufacturing requirements.

   8. Eliminate paper-based submission requirements and outdated guidance.

4. Drug & Device Approval Modernization – FDA

   1. Remove outdated animal testing mandates.

   2. Leverage data and AI to reduce trial costs.

   3. Create a National Priority Voucher Program for innovative drugs.

   4. Allow targeted exemptions for Phase I investigational drugs.

   5. Support regenerative medicine advancement.

5. EPA Process Improvements – EPA

   1. Streamline chemical and biologic product approvals for agriculture.

   2. Expand categorical exclusions for small meat processors under NEPA.

   3. Clarify manure, rinse, and process water definitions under RCRA.

   4. Increase flexibility for on-farm water management practices.

6. Government Data Access Reform – Cross-Agency

   1. Loosen restrictions on publication and sharing of de-identified data while maintaining privacy standards.

Agency Restructuring and Governance Reforms

For background on the Administration for a Healthy America initiative, please see the following link-

1. HHS Reorganization – Creation of the Agency for a Healthy America (AHA)

   1. Consolidate prevention-focused programs into a single coordinating agency.

   2. Streamline accountability and program efficiency within HHS.

2. Forum on Child and Family Statistics Reform – HHS & DPC

   1. Reevaluate forum goals to better focus on childhood chronic disease outcomes.

3. EPA Reorganization and Modernization – EPA

   1. Refocus new Office of Applied Sciences and Environmental Solutions to improve research alignment and state support.

   2. Leverage new staffing capacity for faster scientific review processes.

4. NIH Office of Research Innovation and Validation – NIH

   1. Establish to coordinate and scale NAMs across agencies.

5. NIH Office of Research Innovations, Planning, and Analysis (ORIPA)

   1. Enhance disease-specific portfolio management and improve reproducibility in research.

   2. Oversight and Systemic Transparency Reforms

6. User-Fee Transparency – FDA, EPA, USDA

   1. Ensure fee-funded processes are open, efficient, and publicly reported.

7. Research Security and Disclosure – USDA

   1. Mandate full disclosure of foreign or domestic research support in applications.

8. Reform of Federal Advisory Committees – HHS

   1. Impose recusal rules and public database disclosure for financial interests.

9. Improved Open Government Data Policy – HHS, NIH

   1. Allow public access to de-identified government datasets for research.

10. Enhanced Interagency Coordination – HHS, EPA, USDA, NIH

    1. Formalize collaborative frameworks under the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks to Children.

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