Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to release a new report from the Make America Healthy Again Commission focusing on how to improve children's health. The report comes weeks after Kennedy fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and faced calls for his removal from employees of HHS and former CDC heads.
The 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.
This marks Kennedy's second major report as HHS head. In May, Kennedy released a 69-page document that identifies several potential causes for what’s described as the “stark reality of American children’s declining health,” pointing to widespread consumption of ultra-processed foods, increased exposure to toxic chemicals, a lack of physical activity couple with increased stress, and so-called “overmedicalization” as key drivers.
The May report frames itself as a call to action over what it calls “the stark reality of American children’s declining health.” The White House views it as a historic first-of-its-kind assessment using available research.
The May document stopped short of offering any concrete solutions to improve children’s health. In a call with reporters ahead of its release, Kennedy said the commission would work on a “follow-up report” over the next 100 days, complete with policy prescriptions.
“The next stage of this process is to come up with policy recommendations for the President, and then we'll spend the next four years implementing those policy recommendations,” he said.
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But the report painted a bleak portrait of America’s youth, describing them as “the sickest generation in American history.” It points to significant increases in childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer and mental health problems, suggesting policymakers have devoted too much time and money on medical treatments to such issues and too little on research into ways to prevent them. It also calls out corporate influence in environmental and epidemiological studies, as well as the significant role corporate lobbyists play in crafting federal legislation.
