WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins joined forces on Thursday to kick off the first “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) event at Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia. The initiative, designed to promote healthier eating habits and combat diet-related diseases, aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s directive to prioritize public health through improved nutrition policies.
During the event, the Secretaries engaged with students during a healthy snack session and discussed the significance of nutrition programs with school staff. The visit highlighted the administration’s commitment to addressing alarming rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases among children, emphasizing the role of federally funded programs in promoting better health outcomes.
“Secretary Kennedy and I have a unique once in a generation opportunity to better align our vision on nutrition-related programs to ensure we are working together to advance President Trump’s vision to make our kids, our families, and our communities healthy again,” Secretary Rollins stated. She further underscored the importance of American agriculture in tackling these challenges, noting, “Our farmers, ranchers, and producers dedicate their lives to growing the safest most abundant food supply in the world, and we need to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce.”
Secretary Kennedy echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the urgency of the initiative. “Thanks to leaders like Virginia Governor Youngkin, the MAHA agenda is gaining momentum. I urge every governor to champion legislation that bans ultra-processed foods and dyes in public schools, and submit a waiver to the USDA to remove soda from SNAP. Secretary Rollins and I look forward to celebrating these achievements with Governors at the White House this summer,” Kennedy said.
The MAHA initiative will bring together the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to implement sweeping reforms aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyles. The collaboration will explore ways to revise dietary guidelines, reduce regulatory burdens, and support innovative state programs to improve nutrition standards in schools and federal assistance programs. The work will also include comprehensive research and reporting on the underlying causes of diet-related diseases and how government actions can reverse these trends.
The administration sees this initiative as a pivotal step toward reversing decades of poor health outcomes and building a healthier future for children and families across America. According to the Secretaries, the MAHA effort represents just the beginning of a collaborative push to transform public health in the United States.
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