Senators have formed a “Make America Healthy Again” MAHA caucus in the upper chamber that is aimed at helping Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. enact his agenda to promote better health among Americans.
The caucus, spearheaded by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), will focus on policies that prioritize nutrition, improve access to primary care, and address the root causes of chronic diseases. The aim is to revamp national health policy by encouraging healthier food production while decreasing reliance on pharmaceuticals.
According to the senator's office, the MAHA caucus' purpose will be to work alongside Kennedy, assuming that he is confirmed in the new Congress, and use legislation to ensure that Trump and Kennedy's plan can be swiftly executed.
The caucus will foster partnerships with stakeholders at the local, state and federal level in order to facilitate key MAHA initiatives, while also mobilizing support for its priorities and creating educational campaigns to spread nutritional awareness.
“‘The MAHA caucus is committed to improving health outcomes by prioritizing nutrition, providing access to affordable, nutrient-dense foods, and focusing on primary care availability to tackle the root causes of chronic diseases,’ the Kansas Republican said in a statement,” Marshall said in a statement.
High-profile GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Ron Johnson (R-WI), have indicated that they are on board with the initiative.
“America is sicker than ever, and President Trump has made it a priority to address America’s chronic disease epidemic,” Lummis said.
Central to the MAHA agenda is the notion that “food is medicine.” The caucus believes that by improving people’s diets by promoting nutrient-dense foods and environmentally sustainable farming techniques can decrease chronic disease rates.
“The MAHA caucus said it will work alongside Kennedy and Trump to reduce the rate of illness across the country,” The Hill reported.
However, Kennedy’s past stances on vaccines has raised eyebrows among some conservative senators. RFK Jr. has been making the rounds among members of the Senate to win them over and gain their support for his confirmation.
The caucus also suggests some GOP senators are willing to take on parts of Kennedy’s health policy vision as their own — while hoping to incorporate their long-standing goals in that work.
Kennedy, too, has bent in his sales pitch to senators whose votes he will need to win confirmation. He has backpedaled on his vaccine skepticism, for instance, saying he would not take away vaccines from people who want them.
And the caucus’ goals suggest that it expects Kennedy will promote issues that he has not previously focused on but the senators have, such as expanding community health centers, telehealth access and health savings accounts. Members say those policies would expand care access and affordability.
If Kennedy is confirmed, the MAHA caucus will be ready to enact legislation to drastically reshape federal healthcare policy. Despite some initial reservations, it appears Republicans in the Senate might be willing to confirm him.