The report, led by a so-called “MAHA Commission,” is expected to be released on Thursday.
Farmers and Republicans are nervous about what the report might say about glyphosate, the ingredient commonly used in pesticides sprayed on crops.
Speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley warned that farmers have reached out to him, upset they have not been able to provide input on the MAHA report ahead of its release.
“I hope there is nothing in the MAHA report that jeopardizes the food supply or the livelihood of farmers,” Grassley said.
During a senate hearing on Wednesday, Kennedy rebutted concerns from Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith that the report would “unfairly” target farmers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A highly anticipated White House report on childhood diseases has sparked a battle between health secretary Robert F. Trump and some well-known Republican lawmakers and farmers. Kennedy Jr. and his initiative to “Make America Healthy Again” before it was published.
President Donald Trump pledged a review that would examine the consequences that U.S. S. . lifestyle has an impact on childhood illnesses like obesity, depression, or attention deficit disorder. This includes everything from the drugs that kids are prescribed to the food that is placed on their school lunch trays. The so-called “MAHA Commission” is expected to release the report on Thursday.
Republicans and farmers alike are concerned about the report’s potential findings regarding glyphosate, a substance frequently found in pesticides sprayed on crops. Kennedy has denied that farmers will be negatively impacted by the report.
On Wednesday, Iowa Republican Sen. Farmers have complained to Chuck Grassley that they were unable to offer feedback on the MAHA report before it was released.
“I hope that nothing in the MAHA report puts the food supply or farmers’ livelihoods in danger,” Grassley remarked.
In a letter to Kennedy last month, 79 Republicans, including a number of senators from farming states, expressed similar concerns about the report, stating that agricultural “yields and quantity are negatively impacted” in the absence of the products. “”.
Since it has been on the market for roughly 50 years, glyphosate has been crucial for weed control without requiring excessive tilling, which helps save fuel and soil.
Missouri farmer Blake Hurst, a former president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, stated, “There’s a reason why we still use: It works.”.
However, Kennedy has amassed a substantial following over many decades, partly due to the lawsuits he has filed against corporations, such as the company that made the weedkiller Roundup. The main component of that product, glyphosate, has been classified by the WHO as a likely human carcinogen.
Kennedy received a letter from a sizable contingent of his supporters on Wednesday, urging the commission to “hold the chemical industry” accountable in the report and pointing out that pressure is growing.
Farmers, former Kennedy campaign staffers, and those who collaborated with him at his anti-vaccine nonprofit are among the 360 self-described MAHA supporters who signed the letter, which states that “evidence is piling up and the risks from pesticide exposure are undeniable.”.
Kennedy’s unsuccessful presidential campaign fundraiser, Dave Murphy, stated that he sent Trump administration officials his pesticide studies and comments for the MAHA report, but that there is “a lot of pressure within Washington” regarding the final report’s findings.
At Wednesday’s Senate hearing, Kennedy addressed the concerns raised by Republican Sen. The report would “unfairly” single out farmers, according to Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Kennedy remarked of his report, “There is not a word in them that should worry the American farmer.”. We won’t take any action that could endanger that business strategy. “.”.
Kennedy’s appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee was part of the White House’s budget proposal, which would increase funding for Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign by $500 million. Deep cuts are also made in that same proposal, including to programs for medical research, maternal health, and the prevention of infectious diseases.
In February, Trump issued an executive order creating a Make America Healthy Again Commission to investigate the “threat” that chemicals, prescription medications, and specific food ingredients present to children.
Kennedy, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya were among the members of the president’s cabinet who were supposed to lead that review.
Kennedy never called a public session of the commission, despite his promises of “radical transparency” since assuming leadership of the country’s health department. The White House only made short, edited snippets available from the commission’s one closed-door meeting in March.
The unpublished report was referred to as a “historic step” by a White House spokesperson without providing any additional information.
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