RFK

New Report Validates MAHA Moms, RFK Jr. Assesses Declining Health of Children

On Thursday, May 22, during a press conference at the White House, the Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again released an important assessment on the declining health of our children, validating the concerns of MAHA moms.

The 72-page report, titled “Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment” is the first of two projects President Trump assigned to the Make America Healthy Again Commission in February through Executive Order 14212.

The Commission was charged with assessing the chronic childhood disease crisis by May and developing a strategy to reverse the trend by August.

At the press event today, President Trump and Secretary Kennedy discussed the Commission’s findings and recommitted to the important goal of making our kids healthy again.

Some of the disturbing facts cited by the Commission’s assessment include that over 40% of U.S. children suffer from at least one chronic condition and over 75% of American youth are unfit to serve in the military “primarily due to obesity, poor physical fitness, and/or mental health challenges.”

The assessment boldly promises to confront the underlying problems of childhood disease and begin to roll it back the crisis.

“During this administration, we will begin reversing the childhood chronic disease crisis by confronting its root causes — not just its symptoms. This means pursuing truth, embracing science, and enacting pro-growth policies and innovations to restore children’s health.”

The report identified four “potential drivers behind the rise in childhood chronic disease that present the clearest opportunities for progress” and outlined what initial steps need to be taken to address them.

First, the report found that almost 70% of the average American child’s diet is made up of ultra-processed foods leading to obesity, diabetes and other chronic health conditions.

Secondly, the assessment claims children are exposed to “an increasing number of synthetic chemicals,” of which some are linked to chronic disease.

Third, the Commission believes “inactivity, screen use, sleep deprivation, and chronic stress” are contributing to disease and mental health problems in our children.

Finally, the report cites “a concerning trend of over prescribing medication to children” that has led to long-term health challenges.

The assessment also includes a list of next steps, including large-scale lifestyle interventions, drug safety research, monitoring of children’s medication for safety, expand the autism data platform to include environmental impacts, healthy nutrition trials for children, and more.

During the MAHA event at the White House, Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, made moving remarks about what this report means to him as a father of three children and husband to a wife who is a MAHA mom.

The Commission is expected to release their Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy this August.

RFK Jr: Beware Weight-Loss Drugs for Children

After passing out of committee on partisan lines, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is awaiting his final confirmation vote in the United States Senate for Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary.

Writing in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, Jillian Lederman highlighted Mr. Kennedy’s concern that too many children are taking weight-loss drugs.

“I do not think they should be the first front-line intervention for 6-year-old kids,” the HHS nominee stated.

Back in 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics began including anti-obesity drugs in its guidelines for treating overweight children. You might be familiar with some of these medications given the avalanche of advertisements promoting them: Wegovy, Saxenda, Orlistat, Qsymia.

In September, the New England Medical Journal published findings from a late-stage trial of a weight-loss drug similar to Ozempic. Results indicated that obese children between the ages of 6 and 11 experienced a significant reduction of their body mass when taking the medication.

But just because something “works,” is it always a good idea?

At the time the trial findings were released, Dr. Roy Kim, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s in Ohio, voiced strong concerns:

“We do not know the long-term effectiveness and safety of these medicines in children,” Kim said. “While the medicine was well tolerated, there are concerns about this category of medicines and possible pancreas problems, thyroid cancer risk and bone health over the lifetime.”

Writing in Wednesday’s Journal, Ms. Lederman raised the correlation between obesity and mental health, especially among young girls.

More than 22% of adolescents worldwide exhibit disordered eating, and more than 60% of them are female. Girls also constitute 60% of the nearly 31,000 Americans 12 to 17 who took prescription weight-loss drugs in 2023—even though obesity rates are lower in girls than in boys.
Nearly 10% of adolescent females worldwide took nonprescription weight-loss products in 2023—including diet pills, laxatives and diuretics—compared with about 2% of adolescent males. Studies find these products to be concentrated among girls who struggle with self-esteem, body insecurities and parental or media pressure to lose weight.
There’s a troubling parallel here. As rates of diagnosed mental illness among children have spiked, so too has the prescription of mental-health drugs. In 1996 the share of American children on psychotropic medication was 3.9%. In 2022 it was 9.3%. Among children in foster care, it’s 35%. According to a 2014 study, psychotropic medications are prescribed to 85% of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 60% of those with bipolar disorder, and 57% of those with depression.

It’s not a coincidence that America’s escalating mental health crisis correlates with rising obesity rates in the country among both youth and adults. It’s what’s called a bidirectional relationship. People who suffer from depression are more likely to be obese – and the obese are more likely to be depressed.

Complex and layered problems cannot be ultimately solved by simply popping pills, especially when the individual is young and still developing. What’s needed most is an integrated approach, a strategy that will involve lifestyle changes. This is most likely to include a better diet, physical exercise, and better socialization habits, to name just a few of the responsible tactics available to combat obesity.

As Christians, we should also help our children see their bodies as a gift from God and treat them accordingly.

Many parents, especially mothers, have expressed hope that Mr. Kennedy will shake things up inside HHS. Parents are optimistic that the nominee is committed to reorientating healthcare away from the idea that pharmaceuticals are a cure all. Truth be told, most pediatricians and family doctors embrace this approach and are eager to work in concert with moms and dads to do what is in the best interest of their sons and daughters.

The “MAHA” (Make America Healthy Again) movement has many raving fans, skeptics and detractors. But as Christians, we can all unite in our desire to pursue policies that will enable our children and grandchildren to grow and thrive.

RFK, Jr’s Secret Weapon: Christian Conservative Homeschool Moms

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department Health and Human Services (HHS), is having his day in the spotlight as senators question his qualifications to run the sprawling $1.7 trillion, 80,000 employee division. 

Kennedy, son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy (the third of 11 children) is an unorthodox pick from a Republican president.

Before running for the Democrat nomination for president of the United States in 2023, Kennedy’s career had a rocky start. Originally hired as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan following law school, he struggled with drug addiction before turning his attention to the environment.

In recent months, Mr. Kennedy has developed a spirited following from those who share his concerns about America’s declining health. For years, he’s served as either chairman or chief legal counsel for the Children’s Health Defense. 

Anticipating criticism of his previous statements and positions on vaccines, Kennedy’s opening remarks were an attempt to make clear of distinctions within his perspective.

“I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things,” he stated. “News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety.”

Throughout both his campaign for president and while supporting President Trump’s candidacy, Kennedy has had a lot to say about the chemicals, dyes, and other engineering of America’s food supply. He told senators that he’s not “the enemy of food producers.” Instead, he insisted, “American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security… I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.”

He went on, “Should I be so privileged to be confirmed, we will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased, science-driven HHS, accountable to the President, to Congress, and to the American people. We will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to health.”

It’s that commitment that has enthused a broad coalition of supporter, especially socially conservative and often, homeschooling, mothers.

The New York Times has picked up on this energy.

In Tuesday’s edition, the Old Grey Lady highlighted several mothers who are concerned about the country’s “contaminated soil and waterways, factory-farmed meat and the lobbying by agricultural corporations.”

Among home-schooling mothers like Ms. Gleaton, Mr. Kennedy has long been seen as a bold truth-teller, one who understands their skepticism about the education and health establishments … And his rising profile comes as this particular constituency is also coming into its own politically and culturally.

“He’s saying what parents like me have been thinking for a long time,” said Nicki Truesdell, a mother of five and a home-schooling activist in Gainesville. “In the ‘crunchy’ world, he’s very well known and loved.”

This “Crunchy Mama” demographic may have once been a quiet subculture, but that’s not the case anymore.

COVID-19 vaccine mandates for children in some states was a bridge too far for many moms and dads. That Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was willing to acknowledge concerns over “Big Pharma” and “Big Ag” has served to encourage and turn one-time spectators into outspoken defenders of Kennedy’s nomination.

“Parents are waking up,” Gleaton told The Times. “The rebel stuff is starting to be normalized.” 

Christians championing Kennedy’s nomination have been forced to address and reconcile the nominee’s long history of supporting abortion. Wednesday’s hearing may have provided those of us who champion the protection of preborn life some measure of comfort.

“I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy,” Kennedy said. “I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year.” When it comes to the life issue, Mr. Kennedy has vowed to follow President Trump’s lead.

A heated exchange with Senator Maggie Hassan on Wednesday also suggested the pro-abortion crowd isn’t enthusiastic with the prospect of a Secretary Kennedy heading up HHS.

An exasperated Senator Hassan referred to abortion as “direly needed healthcare” and questioned whether she or any other abortion zealots could depend on the nominee.

In a deeply divided United States Senate, Kennedy’s confirmation faces strict scrutiny. Either way, it will be close. But you can be sure that if a large contingent of conservative mothers has anything to say about it, RFK, Jr. may very well soon be the 26th secretary of HHS.