Kennedy: MAHA Can’t Succeed Without ‘Partnership’ with Farmers

President Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday during his confirmation hearing that he isn’t the enemy of food producers.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has previously been openly critical of some chemicals used in crop production, did not back down from his concern about environmental toxins and removing them from the food, water and air. Kennedy has rolled out the Make America Healthy Again plan, a portion of which says MAHA “champions regenerative agriculture as a solution to many of America’s health and environmental challenges.”

This includes, according to MAHA, supporting policies that incentivize sustainable farming practices, improve soil health, reduce chemical usage and increase biodiversity.

But Kennedy told Senators that MAHA can’t succeed “without full partnership” with American farmers.

“American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security,” said Kennedy, who mentioned he was a 4H kid and spent many childhood summers working on ranches. “I want to work with farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.”

In his opening statement, Kennedy told the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry that his headline initiatives including ensuring tax dollars supported healthy foods, scrutinizing chemical additives in the nation’s food supply, removing financial conflicts of interest from HHS agencies, and creating, “an honest, unbiased gold standard science at HHS accountable to the president, the Congress and the American people.

“We want to reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to good health.”

Kennedy’s hearing was much more contentious than the one for Brooke Rollins, Trump’s nominee to lead the USDA, as his stance on vaccines, pharmaceuticals, rural health initiatives and other topics dominated.