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Tag: Make America Healthy Again

  • Walmart will remove dyes and other additives from its US house-brand products by 2027

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    TODAY– WALMART ANNOUNCED IT PLANS TO REMOVE SYNTHETIC FOOD DYES AND 30 OTHER INGREDIENTS FROM ITS STORE BRANDS BY JANUARY 20-27. IT INCLUDES SOME PRESERVATIVES, ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS AND FAT SUBSTITUTES. WALMART SAYS THIS WILL AFFECT ABOUT A THOUSAND OF ITS PRODUCTS. THIS INVOLVES ITS BRANDS INCLUDING GREAT VALUE, MARKETSIDE, AND BETTER GOODS. EARLIER THIS Y

    Walmart will remove dyes and other additives from its US house-brand products by 2027

    Updated: 12:01 PM PDT Oct 2, 2025

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    Walmart will remove artificial dyes and 30 other additives — such as artificial sweeteners, fat substitutes and various preservatives — from its U.S. private-brand food and beverage products, the company announced Wednesday. The decision marks the latest corporate move in response to evolving consumer tastes and the yearslong crackdown on food additives that began with state lawmakers, particularly those in California. The momentum has picked up steam this year amid Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.The change in Walmart brands, including Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and bettergoods, will be in full effect by 2027.”Our customers have told us that they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients — and we’ve listened,” Walmart US President and CEO John Furner said in a news release. “By eliminating synthetic dyes and other ingredients, we’re reinforcing our promise to deliver affordable food that families can feel good about.”The 11 dyes being removed are blue dyes No. 1 and No. 2; green dye No. 3; red dyes No. 3, No. 4 and No. 40; yellow dyes No. 5 and No. 6; citrus red dye; orange B dye; and canthaxanthin, an orange-red pigment naturally found in some bacteria, algae, fungi, crustaceans, and tissues and egg yolk from wild birds. Except for canthaxanthin and orange B dye, the other colorants are made from petroleum. All of these dyes are commonly used to make food and beverage products brightly colored and more appealing to consumers.The push to rid the food system of artificial dyes stems from concerns about negative impacts on animal and human health, including a potentially increased risk of cancer and neurobehavioral issues. California banned red dye No. 3 statewide in October 2023, followed by a ban of six other common dyes in school foods in September.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned red dye No. 3 in January, effective for food on Jan. 15, 2027, and for drugs on Jan. 18, 2028 — but the agency has since asked food companies to eliminate the dye sooner. In March, West Virginia passed the most sweeping law thus far, prohibiting seven dyes and two preservatives.The other additives Walmart plans to remove include preservatives such as butylparaben and propylparaben; fat substitutes such as synthetic trans fatty acid and sucrose polyester; and artificial sweeteners advantame and neotame.”This commitment is a bold declaration and response to consumer sentiment that has become increasingly wary of the long list of chemicals found in so many processed foods,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said in a statement. “Walmart’s decision shows that food companies don’t have to wait for the FDA’s regulatory process to catch up with the science.”Several of the ingredients Walmart is nixing, including red dye No. 3, are already banned or not commonly used. About 90% of Walmart’s house-brand products are already free of synthetic dyes, according to the news release.”Walmart accounts for 25% to 30% of all grocery sales in the United States and anything it does reverberates throughout the entire industry,” Dr. Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor Emerita of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, said via email. “If it is removing the artificial colors from its house brands, other retailers … will have to follow suit.”Major food companies including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, WK Kellogg Co, The Campbell’s Company, PepsiCo and Utz have pledged to remove artificial dyes by 2027, Nestle added — all following the Trump administration’s April request that companies voluntarily alter their product formulations.”This is a big MAHA win, and one that food advocates have urged for decades,” Nestle said. “I’m hoping MAHA will build on this and now take on more important issues.”State actions also likely influenced the Walmart decision, Dr. Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at the New York University School of Global Public Health, said via email.”The food companies are not going to create ‘better’ products for one state — especially California which has one of the biggest economies in the world — or for several states, so they are forced to change the ingredients in their food nationally,” she added.If you want to avoid food dyes and other additives until various restrictions, bans and reformulations take place, reading ingredient lists when you shop is always your best bet, experts said.On ingredient lists, these artificial dyes are sometimes referred to using the following terms:Red dye No. 3: red 3, FD&C Red No. 3 or erythrosineRed dye No. 40: red 40, FD&C Red No. 40 or Allura Red ACBlue dye No. 1: blue 1, FD&C Blue No. 1 or Brilliant Blue FCFBlue dye No. 2: FD&C Blue No. 2 or indigotineGreen dye No. 3: FD&C Green No. 3 or Fast Green FCFYellow dye No. 5: yellow 5, FD&C Yellow No. 5 or tartrazineYellow dye No. 6: yellow 6, FD&C Yellow No. 6 or sunset yellowDyes listed with the word “lake” in any ingredient list indicate the dye is a water-insoluble version, meaning it can dissolve in oily foods or low-moisture foods.Since these ingredients are typically found in ultraprocessed foods, not eating those is a shortcut to eliminating the additives from your diet. Ultraprocessed foods are made with industrial techniques and ingredients “never or rarely used in kitchens,” according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. These foods are typically low in fiber and high in calories, added sugar, refined grains and fats, sodium, and additives, all of which are designed to help make food more appealing.Accordingly, shifting away from these products may result in more significant health benefits, as numerous studies have linked consumption of ultraprocessed foods with health issues including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, premature death, cancer, depression, cognitive decline, stroke and sleep disorders.

    Walmart will remove artificial dyes and 30 other additives — such as artificial sweeteners, fat substitutes and various preservatives — from its U.S. private-brand food and beverage products, the company announced Wednesday. The decision marks the latest corporate move in response to evolving consumer tastes and the yearslong crackdown on food additives that began with state lawmakers, particularly those in California. The momentum has picked up steam this year amid Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

    The change in Walmart brands, including Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and bettergoods, will be in full effect by 2027.

    “Our customers have told us that they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients — and we’ve listened,” Walmart US President and CEO John Furner said in a news release. “By eliminating synthetic dyes and other ingredients, we’re reinforcing our promise to deliver affordable food that families can feel good about.”

    The 11 dyes being removed are blue dyes No. 1 and No. 2; green dye No. 3; red dyes No. 3, No. 4 and No. 40; yellow dyes No. 5 and No. 6; citrus red dye; orange B dye; and canthaxanthin, an orange-red pigment naturally found in some bacteria, algae, fungi, crustaceans, and tissues and egg yolk from wild birds. Except for canthaxanthin and orange B dye, the other colorants are made from petroleum. All of these dyes are commonly used to make food and beverage products brightly colored and more appealing to consumers.

    The push to rid the food system of artificial dyes stems from concerns about negative impacts on animal and human health, including a potentially increased risk of cancer and neurobehavioral issues. California banned red dye No. 3 statewide in October 2023, followed by a ban of six other common dyes in school foods in September.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned red dye No. 3 in January, effective for food on Jan. 15, 2027, and for drugs on Jan. 18, 2028 — but the agency has since asked food companies to eliminate the dye sooner. In March, West Virginia passed the most sweeping law thus far, prohibiting seven dyes and two preservatives.

    The other additives Walmart plans to remove include preservatives such as butylparaben and propylparaben; fat substitutes such as synthetic trans fatty acid and sucrose polyester; and artificial sweeteners advantame and neotame.

    “This commitment is a bold declaration and response to consumer sentiment that has become increasingly wary of the long list of chemicals found in so many processed foods,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said in a statement. “Walmart’s decision shows that food companies don’t have to wait for the FDA’s regulatory process to catch up with the science.”

    Several of the ingredients Walmart is nixing, including red dye No. 3, are already banned or not commonly used. About 90% of Walmart’s house-brand products are already free of synthetic dyes, according to the news release.

    “Walmart accounts for 25% to 30% of all grocery sales in the United States and anything it does reverberates throughout the entire industry,” Dr. Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor Emerita of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, said via email. “If it is removing the artificial colors from its house brands, other retailers … will have to follow suit.”

    Major food companies including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, WK Kellogg Co, The Campbell’s Company, PepsiCo and Utz have pledged to remove artificial dyes by 2027, Nestle added — all following the Trump administration’s April request that companies voluntarily alter their product formulations.

    “This is a big MAHA win, and one that food advocates have urged for decades,” Nestle said. “I’m hoping MAHA will build on this and now take on more important issues.”

    State actions also likely influenced the Walmart decision, Dr. Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at the New York University School of Global Public Health, said via email.

    “The food companies are not going to create ‘better’ products for one state — especially California which has one of the biggest economies in the world — or for several states, so they are forced to change the ingredients in their food nationally,” she added.

    If you want to avoid food dyes and other additives until various restrictions, bans and reformulations take place, reading ingredient lists when you shop is always your best bet, experts said.

    On ingredient lists, these artificial dyes are sometimes referred to using the following terms:

    • Red dye No. 3: red 3, FD&C Red No. 3 or erythrosine
    • Red dye No. 40: red 40, FD&C Red No. 40 or Allura Red AC
    • Blue dye No. 1: blue 1, FD&C Blue No. 1 or Brilliant Blue FCF
    • Blue dye No. 2: FD&C Blue No. 2 or indigotine
    • Green dye No. 3: FD&C Green No. 3 or Fast Green FCF
    • Yellow dye No. 5: yellow 5, FD&C Yellow No. 5 or tartrazine
    • Yellow dye No. 6: yellow 6, FD&C Yellow No. 6 or sunset yellow

    Dyes listed with the word “lake” in any ingredient list indicate the dye is a water-insoluble version, meaning it can dissolve in oily foods or low-moisture foods.

    Since these ingredients are typically found in ultraprocessed foods, not eating those is a shortcut to eliminating the additives from your diet. Ultraprocessed foods are made with industrial techniques and ingredients “never or rarely used in kitchens,” according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. These foods are typically low in fiber and high in calories, added sugar, refined grains and fats, sodium, and additives, all of which are designed to help make food more appealing.

    Accordingly, shifting away from these products may result in more significant health benefits, as numerous studies have linked consumption of ultraprocessed foods with health issues including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, premature death, cancer, depression, cognitive decline, stroke and sleep disorders.

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  • Vaccine Injuries, Violent Video Games, and Infertility Challenge: RFK Jr. Releases New MAHA ‘Strategy’ Report for Children

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    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a new “strategy” report from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, outlining how the Trump administration wants to improve the health of American children. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist who doesn’t believe in germ theory, has been destroying faith in America’s public health system since he was confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

    Unlike MAHA’s first report back in May, the new report doesn’t include any fake studies that are cited. But that’s because the new report released Tuesday doesn’t cite any studies at all. Kennedy has completely hollowed out expertise at agencies like the FDA and CDC, which he oversees, through recent actions like firing CDC Director Susan Monarez, leading to a massive exodus of people who believe in science.

    The new strategy report identifies four areas the MAHA commission believes are “behind the rise in childhood chronic disease,” including poor diet, chemical exposure, overmedication, and a lack of physical exercise combined with chronic stress. The report calls for further research into childhood vaccines, fluoride, and physical activity, among other topics.

    As with all things MAHA, there is a mix of very real concerns about the health of Americans, combined with fringe ideas about what to do about it. There’s a particular emphasis in the report on “conflicts of interest,” a worthwhile topic of discussion when it comes to the revolving door of government regulators and drug companies. But Kennedy’s solution to potential conflicts of interest has been to fire real experts on things like vaccines in order to replace them with charlatans who are selling their own questionable alternative therapies.

    The future of vaccines

    The new report calls for developing a framework on vaccines that’s filled with all kinds of red flags for anyone who can read between the lines. The report says the framework will focus on:

    • Ensuring America has the best childhood vaccine schedule;
    • Addressing vaccine injuries;
    • Modernizing American vaccines with transparent, gold-standard science;
    • Correcting conflicts of interest and misaligned incentives; and
    • Ensuring scientific and medical freedom.

    “Over 99% of vaccine injuries go unreported,” Kennedy said at a press conference on Tuesday without providing any evidence for his claim.

    The government announced changes to covid-19 vaccine recommendations on Aug. 27 that will restrict who’s able to get the shot. The CDC only recommends the shot for people aged 65 and older, as well as those at higher risk of complications from getting covid-19. And we’re already seeing various states restricting who can get the shot.

    Guns, screen time, social media, and video games

    During the press conference, Kennedy was asked about guns and the public health issues they pose. He claimed there was a “sudden onset of violence” in the 1990s that he didn’t see as a kid—the kind of nostalgia he often engages in when it comes to food quality and various conditions like autism.

    “It could be a connection with video games, social media, and we are looking at that,” Kennedy said, also stating that he was looking at “overmedication of kids” as another cause of mass shootings.

    The report also mentions that the Surgeon General will launch an educational campaign about the effect of screen time on children and “actions being taken by states to limit screentime at school.” The U.S. doesn’t have a Senate-confirmed Surgeon General right now. President Trump withdrew his nominee for the position, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, in May over questions about her credentials. And then he nominated Casey Means, a wellness influencer who hasn’t yet faced hearings from the Senate for her confirmation.

    Means doesn’t currently have a medical license and started a company called Levels that sells a wearable for monitoring glucose levels. There’s no reason for someone who isn’t diabetic to be monitoring their glucose levels, but Kennedy has previously said that he wants all Americans to be sporting a wearable.

    Sperm counts

    The report also includes a section on fertility, with Secretary Kennedy claiming early in the press conference on Tuesday that, “Our young men have sperm counts that are half what they ought to be.”

    From the report:

    HHS will launch a MAHA education campaign to improve health and fertility in women and men looking to start a family. This will influence adolescent health through early adoption of lifestyles that help avoid the development of root cause issues that impact adult fertility in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.

    • The HHS Root Causes of Infertility Award Challenge Competition, a national call to action to address the root causes of infertility and improve maternal and infant health outcomes. This initiative seeks to identify new and existing solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat root causes of infertility, including chronic reproductive health conditions, and provide answers to families, improve health outcomes, and ensure a brighter future for parents and infants across the U.S.

    • HHS will develop a partnership to create an Infertility Training Center to serve and train Title X clinics to identify, treat, and refer for the underlying causes of infertility, such as chronic reproductive health conditions.

    It’s unclear what the “Root Causes of Infertility Award Challenge Competition” will entail exactly, but given the far right’s obsession with birth rates among white people right now, it’s sure to be something dystopian.

    Criticism from allies over the report

    Some of Kennedy’s traditional left-leaning allies are not happy with the new MAHA strategy report, which had leaked in a rough form last month before its final release. Critics believe the health industry had too much influence on its strategy conclusions, and Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit that sued the EPA over the fluoridation of water, released a statement Tuesday that was highly critical of Kennedy’s plan.

    “The MAHA Commission report is a gift to Big Ag. Its deregulatory proposals read like an industry wish list. The truth is, industrial agriculture is making us sick. Making America healthy again will require confronting Big Ag corporations head on — instead, the Trump administration has capitulated,” Food & Water Watch senior food policy analyst Rebecca Wolf said in a statement.

    The report doesn’t call for a ban on various pesticides, instead saying it will launch a “partnership with private-sector innovators to ensure continued investment in new approaches and technologies to allow even more targeted and precise pesticide applications.” And that also seemed to anger some activists who believe Kennedy is just bowing down to powerful corporate interests.

    “The MAHA Commission report is most notable for what it lacks: any real action on toxic pesticides linked to rising cancer rates nationwide. Meanwhile, Trump’s allies in Congress are considering dangerous legislation to make it all worse. The White House’s feigned concern for our health is too little, too late — its weak response to the public health crisis we face will not stand,” wrote Food & Water Watch.

    Where do we go from here?

    What’s next for the MAHA gang? Kennedy has promised to announce the “cause” of autism at some point this month. And whatever report they produce will more than likely be tainted by Kennedy’s army of anti-vaccine advocates and MAHA kooks. But amidst it all, Kennedy still continues to insist he’s not against vaccines, even while he gets in front of Congress and insists vaccines haven’t been properly studied, a ridiculous lie.

    It’s only going to get weirder from here on out.

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    Matt Novak

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  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces congressional grilling amid CDC turmoil

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    U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal health agencies.Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting COVID-19 shots.A longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, Kennedy has made sweeping changes to agencies tasked with public health policy and scientific research by laying off thousands of workers, firing science advisers and remaking vaccine guidelines. The moves — some of which contradict assurances he made during his confirmation hearings — have rattled medical groups and officials in several Democratic-led states, which have responded with their own vaccine advice.Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for Kennedy to be fired, and his exchanges with Democratic senators on the panel repeatedly devolved into shouting, from both sides.But some Republican senators also expressed unease with his changes to COVID-19 policies.The GOP senators noted that Kennedy said President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for the 2020 Operation Warp Speed initiative to quickly develop mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — and that he also had attacked the safety and continued use of those very shots.”I can’t tell where you are on Operation Warp Speed,” said Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.Tillis and others asked him why the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired last week, less than a month into her tenure.Kennedy said she was dishonest, and that CDC leaders who left the agency last week in support of her deserved to be fired.He also criticized CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies, and claimed — wrongly — that they “failed to do anything about the disease itself.””The people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving,” Kennedy said. He later said they deserved to be fired for not doing enough to control chronic disease.Democrats express hostility from the startThe Senate Finance Committee had called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again,” but Democratic senators pressed Kennedy on his actions around vaccines.At the start of the hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon tried to have Kennedy formally sworn in as a witness, saying the HHS secretary has a history of lying to the committee. The committee’s chair, Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, denied the Democrat’s request, saying “the bottom line is we will let the secretary make his own case.”Wyden went on to attack Kennedy, saying he had “stacked the deck” of a vaccines advisory committee by replacing scientists with “skeptics and conspiracy theorists.”Last week, the Trump administration fired the CDC’s director — a Trump appointee who was confirmed by the Senate — less than a month into her tenure. Several top CDC leaders resigned in protest, leaving the agency in turmoil.The ousted director, Susan Monarez, wrote in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that Kennedy was trying to weaken public health protections.”I was told to preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric,” Monarez wrote. “It is imperative that the panel’s recommendations aren’t rubber-stamped but instead are rigorously and scientifically reviewed before being accepted or rejected.”Kennedy told senators he didn’t make such an ultimatum, though he did concede that he had ordered Monarez to fire career CDC scientists. Monarez’s attorneys later responded that she stood by the op-ed and “would repeat it all under oath.”Kennedy pushed back on concerns raised by multiple Republican senators, including Tillis and Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Both Barrasso and Cassidy are physicians.Shouting matches and hot comebacksThe health secretary had animated comebacks as Democratic senators pressed him on the effects of his words and actions.When Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, questioned Kennedy about his disparaging rhetoric about CDC employees before a deadly shooting at the agency this summer, Kennedy shot back: “Are you complicit in the assassination attempts on President Trump?”Kennedy called Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico “ridiculous,” said he was “talking gibberish” and accused him of “not understanding how the world works” when Lujan asked Kennedy to pledge to share protocols of any research Kennedy was commissioning into autism and vaccines.He also engaged in a heated, loud exchanges with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota.”I didn’t even hear your question,” Kennedy replied to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto as the Nevada Democrat repeatedly asked what the agency was doing to lower drug costs for seniors.He also told Sen. Bernie Sanders that the Vermont independent was not “making any sense.”Some senators had their own choice words.”You’re interrupting me, and sir, you’re a charlatan. That’s what you are, ” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat. “The history on vaccines is very clear.”As the hearing neared its end, Kennedy pulled his cellphone from his pocket and then tapped and scrolled as Wyden asked about mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion.Kennedy disputes COVID-19 dataIn May, Kennedy announced COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move opposed by medical and public health groups.In June, he abruptly fired a panel of experts that had been advising the government on vaccine policy. He replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine skeptics, and then shut the door to several doctors groups that had long helped form the committee’s recommendations.Kennedy has voiced distrust of research that showed the COVID-19 vaccines saved lives, and at Thursday’s hearing even cast doubt on statistics about how people died during the pandemic and on estimates about how many deaths were averted — statistics produced by the agencies he oversees.He said federal health policy would be based on gold standard science, but confessed that he wouldn’t necessarily wait for studies to be completed before taking action against, for example, potential causes of chronic illness.”We are not waiting for everything to come in. We are starting now,” he said.A number of medical groups say Kennedy can’t be counted on to make decisions based on robust medical evidence. In a statement Wednesday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and 20 other medical and public health organizations issued a joint statement calling on him to resign.”Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe,” the statement said.Many of the nation’s leading public health and medical societies, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have decried Kennedy’s policies and warn they will drive up rates of vaccine-preventable diseases.___Stobbe reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    WASHINGTON —

    U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal health agencies.

    Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting COVID-19 shots.

    A longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, Kennedy has made sweeping changes to agencies tasked with public health policy and scientific research by laying off thousands of workers, firing science advisers and remaking vaccine guidelines. The moves — some of which contradict assurances he made during his confirmation hearings — have rattled medical groups and officials in several Democratic-led states, which have responded with their own vaccine advice.

    Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for Kennedy to be fired, and his exchanges with Democratic senators on the panel repeatedly devolved into shouting, from both sides.

    But some Republican senators also expressed unease with his changes to COVID-19 policies.

    The GOP senators noted that Kennedy said President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for the 2020 Operation Warp Speed initiative to quickly develop mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — and that he also had attacked the safety and continued use of those very shots.

    “I can’t tell where you are on Operation Warp Speed,” said Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.

    Tillis and others asked him why the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired last week, less than a month into her tenure.

    Kennedy said she was dishonest, and that CDC leaders who left the agency last week in support of her deserved to be fired.

    He also criticized CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies, and claimed — wrongly — that they “failed to do anything about the disease itself.”

    “The people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving,” Kennedy said. He later said they deserved to be fired for not doing enough to control chronic disease.

    Democrats express hostility from the start

    The Senate Finance Committee had called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again,” but Democratic senators pressed Kennedy on his actions around vaccines.

    At the start of the hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon tried to have Kennedy formally sworn in as a witness, saying the HHS secretary has a history of lying to the committee. The committee’s chair, Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, denied the Democrat’s request, saying “the bottom line is we will let the secretary make his own case.”

    Wyden went on to attack Kennedy, saying he had “stacked the deck” of a vaccines advisory committee by replacing scientists with “skeptics and conspiracy theorists.”

    Last week, the Trump administration fired the CDC’s director — a Trump appointee who was confirmed by the Senate — less than a month into her tenure. Several top CDC leaders resigned in protest, leaving the agency in turmoil.

    The ousted director, Susan Monarez, wrote in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that Kennedy was trying to weaken public health protections.

    “I was told to preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric,” Monarez wrote. “It is imperative that the panel’s recommendations aren’t rubber-stamped but instead are rigorously and scientifically reviewed before being accepted or rejected.”

    Kennedy told senators he didn’t make such an ultimatum, though he did concede that he had ordered Monarez to fire career CDC scientists. Monarez’s attorneys later responded that she stood by the op-ed and “would repeat it all under oath.”

    Kennedy pushed back on concerns raised by multiple Republican senators, including Tillis and Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Both Barrasso and Cassidy are physicians.

    Shouting matches and hot comebacks

    The health secretary had animated comebacks as Democratic senators pressed him on the effects of his words and actions.

    When Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, questioned Kennedy about his disparaging rhetoric about CDC employees before a deadly shooting at the agency this summer, Kennedy shot back: “Are you complicit in the assassination attempts on President Trump?”

    Kennedy called Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico “ridiculous,” said he was “talking gibberish” and accused him of “not understanding how the world works” when Lujan asked Kennedy to pledge to share protocols of any research Kennedy was commissioning into autism and vaccines.

    He also engaged in a heated, loud exchanges with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota.

    “I didn’t even hear your question,” Kennedy replied to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto as the Nevada Democrat repeatedly asked what the agency was doing to lower drug costs for seniors.

    He also told Sen. Bernie Sanders that the Vermont independent was not “making any sense.”

    Some senators had their own choice words.

    “You’re interrupting me, and sir, you’re a charlatan. That’s what you are, ” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat. “The history on vaccines is very clear.”

    As the hearing neared its end, Kennedy pulled his cellphone from his pocket and then tapped and scrolled as Wyden asked about mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion.

    Kennedy disputes COVID-19 data

    In May, Kennedy announced COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move opposed by medical and public health groups.

    In June, he abruptly fired a panel of experts that had been advising the government on vaccine policy. He replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine skeptics, and then shut the door to several doctors groups that had long helped form the committee’s recommendations.

    Kennedy has voiced distrust of research that showed the COVID-19 vaccines saved lives, and at Thursday’s hearing even cast doubt on statistics about how people died during the pandemic and on estimates about how many deaths were averted — statistics produced by the agencies he oversees.

    He said federal health policy would be based on gold standard science, but confessed that he wouldn’t necessarily wait for studies to be completed before taking action against, for example, potential causes of chronic illness.

    “We are not waiting for everything to come in. We are starting now,” he said.

    A number of medical groups say Kennedy can’t be counted on to make decisions based on robust medical evidence. In a statement Wednesday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and 20 other medical and public health organizations issued a joint statement calling on him to resign.

    “Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe,” the statement said.

    Many of the nation’s leading public health and medical societies, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have decried Kennedy’s policies and warn they will drive up rates of vaccine-preventable diseases.

    ___

    Stobbe reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

    ___

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Hotez Says RFK’s Slashed Funding on mRNA Vaccines Could Have Deadly Results

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    Global immunization expert Dr. Peter Hotez says the federal government’s recent decision to slash $500 million in research funding for mRNA vaccines is dangerous, and potentially deadly, for Americans.

    U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced the cuts earlier this month, claiming that mRNA technology is unsafe and ineffective. The decision comes on the heels of a $700 million cut for Moderna flu vaccines.

    “He’s pulling out all government funding for mRNA technology when it represents one of our best hopes for pandemic preparedness,” Hotez said. “When you have a brand new emerging viral pathogen, the mRNA technology has the advantage of being the first out of the starting gate in terms of immunizing a population that hasn’t seen that pathogen before.”

    And it’s absolutely proven to be highly effective, the doctor added, noting that mRNA vaccines potentially saved 3.2 million lives during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    RFK’s decision to cut funding “has deadly impacts,” Hotez said. “It takes off the table our most promising technology for new pandemic threats.”

    Hotez, who serves as co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, developed a patent-free COVID-19 vaccine with Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, and the two were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 as a result.

    The vaccine they developed, a recombinant protein-based product that does not use mRNA technology, is only available in India and Indonesia because that’s where it was licensed, he said. “There was never a path offered to us to get it licensed in the U.S. through the [Food and Drug Administration],” he said. “They were very much affixed to the pharma companies.”

    Hotez is now researching mRNA technology for a cancer vaccine but there’s limited access to funding, so he’s hoping some private-sector and biotech companies will step up.

    “There are certain things that you need the government for,” he said. “The government had an important role for mRNA technology and now, by pulling out, it means that the U.S. won’t be in the lead on this. We’ll have to pick up the pieces through private sector funding, which will never be quite as good.”

    It’s also a step backward for the federal government to withdraw its support and confidence in medical professionals, he added.

    “The Department of HHS under Kennedy seems sort of impervious to criticism from the scientific community,” Hotez said. “The American Academy of Pediatrics recently criticized him for his position on childhood immunizations and COVID, but it doesn’t seem to matter. He seems to be moving forward without any White House or congressional oversight and just does whatever he wishes.”

    Kennedy said data showed mRNA vaccines, developed during the first Trump administration, “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu”, and that the funding would be shifted what he maintains are “safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

    The HHS secretary is instead shifting the funding to older technology developed in China that “has a lot of problems” and did not work well during the COVID pandemic, Hotez said. “This is not the technology you want to use for virus respiratory pathogens unless there’s no other alternative,” he said.

    “They did not stand up to the variants well, and if you remember, back in 1976 with swine flu they used that technology and it caused a high rate of [autoimmune disease] Guillain-Barré Syndrome,” he said.

    Hotez claims that RFK is pulling the funding, not for scientific reasons but for ideological reasons. “He’s very much tied to the wellness and influencer industry which pushes a false narrative that says the mRNA vaccine technology is not safe, it doesn’t work and it doesn’t protect against respiratory infections, and none of those things are true,” Hotez said. “IIt increases the vulnerability of the U.S. population and it weakens our pandemic preparedness.”

    The doctor said it’s been a battle to combat misinformation in RFK’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. The HHS secretary has focused on publicizing the dangers of processed foods and eliminating junk food from welfare benefits while pushing a destructive anti-vax narrative, Hotez said.

    The federal government’s apathetic stance on childhood vaccines probably contributed to a deadly measles outbreak that began in a West Texas Mennonite community in January, Hotez said. State health officials announced recently that the measles epidemic appears to have come to an end following 762 reported cases, more than 100 hospitalizations, and two deaths.

    Hotez said the Department of State Health Services reported that the measles epidemic is over because it’s gone through two complete 21-day incubation periods with no reported cases.

    “If there were going to be new cases from this current epidemic, we would have seen it by now,” he said. “That’s a reasonable assumption. But take stock of what’s happened. This was an eight-month epidemic, a pretty devastating epidemic. The worry is that this won’t be the last one.” Measles is highly transmissible, and in the pre-vaccine era, it peaked in late winter/early spring, Hotez said.

    “So we’re going to have to hold our breath again as kids are going back to school in the fall,” he said. “Don’t be surprised if we see another major measles epidemic. It’s not just measles. Others are likely to follow. Nationally, we’ve seen big increases in whooping cough and pertussis. I’m looking out for that, and I’m worried about polio.”

    “We’ve entered a new era where the return of childhood catastrophic infections becomes more common,” he added.

    The Texas Legislature passed a law earlier this year that makes it easier for parents to opt out of immunizations for their school-age children. About 100,000 Texas children already aren’t vaccinated, and there are many more who are homeschooled and not counted by county health departments.

    People tend to gather data by looking at state immunization rates when it’s more useful to look at counties, said Hotez, who predicted in 2016 that there would be a West Texas measles epidemic. So how did Americans get to a point where people believe that vaccines are bad? The doctor said that’s a long story.

    “What started out as false claims about autism became more of a political enterprise about a decade ago under this Libertarian concept of health freedom and medical freedom,” he said. “That’s when you started to see a rise in vaccine exemptions.”

    “In the last few years, the most recent add-on is the wellness and influencer industry, which peddles supplements and low-cost generic anti-parasitic drugs that they can buy in bulk and jack up the price, and unfortunately they also use that as an opportunity to denigrate modern science. They’re particularly active in Texas.”

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  • Integrative Providers Association (IPA), Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) and Compassion Center Announce Unwavering Support for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services

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    Compassion Center, IPA and CPR call on all members of the Senate to support the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services-championing a new era of environmental stewardship, integrative healthcare, and robust patient rights. Compassion Center urges IPA and CPR members nationwide to join in unity with us and contact their Senators and endorse RFK Jr.’s mission to ‘Make America Healthy Again.’


    Online, January 14, 2025 (Newswire.com)
    –
    In a bold show of unity, the Integrative Providers Association (IPA) and the Coalition For Patient Rights (CPR) and Compassion Center today jointly announced their firm support for the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Citing his relentless advocacy for the environment and his long-standing commitment to public health, both membership organizations believe RFK’s leadership can unify essential reforms in healthcare, environmental stewardship, and social services to “Make America Healthy Again.”

    “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. brings a blend of environmental passion and public-health advocacy that is unprecedented,” said Julie Monteiro, RN, BSK, President of Compassion Center. “Our nation needs leadership who can see the undeniable links between ecological well-being and human health. We couldn’t be more confident in RFK’s ability to steer us in a direction that addresses systemic healthcare challenges while championing patient rights and sustainable development.”

    Integrative Providers Association (IPA) is thrilled to endorse RFK Jr. while the Coalition For Patient Rights (CPR) is equally enthusiastic, highlighting how Secretary-designate Kennedy’s proven track record for challenging entrenched systems and inspiring transformative policy can be the change we all need to see. According to James Creel, CPR Board-Secretary, “RFK Jr. has never been afraid to confront powerful interests when the nation’s health and future are at stake. His stewardship at HHS will emphasize transparency, accountability, and patient-focused care, while reinforcing the need for an integrative approach that acknowledges both modern medicine and holistic well-being.”

    Together, Compassion Center, IPA and CPR call upon the Senate to swiftly confirm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Our organizations invite their respective memberships, and leadership delegations, along with healthcare advocates everywhere, to contact their Senators and voice support for RFK Jr.’s confirmation, pressing forward his agenda to merge environmental responsibility with patient-centric, accessible healthcare solutions.

    “Our membership knows first-hand the urgency of protecting patient rights, cleaning up our environment, and offering comprehensive, integrative and complementary care,” added Jason Greninger, C.S.T., a legislative advocate representing CPR National’s Board of Trustees and the Integrative Providers Association’s Advocacy Division. “We believe Secretary-designate Kennedy embodies the leadership we’ve been longing for-someone who will unify the mission of compassion, science, and sustainability all under one roof.”

    About Compassion Center
    Founded in 2001, Compassion Center is dedicated to improving access to integrative healthcare, mental health and social services. The organization serves patients in Oregon and 18 other states through its clinics, Patient Resource Centers, and patient advocacy programs. For more information on Compassion Center, please visit: www.Compassion-Center.org or www.Compassion-Center.net

    About the Integrative Providers Association (IPA)
    Speaking on behalf of over 1,400,000 licensed integrative healthcare professionals ranging from over 140 specialties including surgeons, dietitians and every interprofessional healthcare specialty in between, the Integrative Providers Association is a 501(c)(6) professional membership organization that discovers, educates, unites and empowers the future of integrative healthcare on behalf of integrative wholeness and inclusion for the betterment of tomorrow. For more information on the Integrative Providers Association (IPA), please visit: www.IntegrativeProviders.org

    About Coalition for Patient Rights
    The Coalition for Patient Rights is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to standing up on behalf of patients’ rights in regards to healthcare, laws and the regulatory bodies that are put in place to protect the best interest of the public and public safety. For more information on the Coalition For Patient Rights, or to learn how to stand up and voice your unwavering support for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s confirmation, please visit www.MyCPR.us , or email coalition@coalitionforpatientrights.org with “RFK Support Group in the subject line. By joining forces, we can amplify the call to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ ensuring every person has access to affordable, comprehensive, integrative healthcare and mental health care, so every community thrives, and every voice is heard in shaping the future of our healthcare system.

    Contact Information:

    James Garvey
    CIFR Director of Collaborative Programs
    james.garvey@compassion-center.org
    844-842-COMPASSION Ext 1

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    SOURCE: Compassion Center

    Source: Compassion Center

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