Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the lawmakers who sent a letter to Kennedy were from both chambers of Congress.
WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — A government report released on Thursday covering wide swaths of American health and wellness reflects some of the most contentious views on vaccines, the nation’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs held by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The much-anticipated “Make America Healthy Again” report calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule, a review of the pesticides sprayed on American crops and a description of the nation’s children as “overmedicated” and “undernourished.”
Increased scrutiny of childhood vaccines — credited with saving millions of people from deadly diseases — figures prominently in the report. It poses questions over the necessity of school mandates that require children to get vaccinated for admittance and suggestions that vaccines should undergo more clinical trials, including with placebos.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic who previously led a nonprofit that has made false claims about the shots causing autism, has continued to raise doubts about the safety of inoculations even as a measles outbreak has sickened more than 1,000 Americans. This week, Kennedy’s health department moved to limit U.S. access to COVID-19 shots.
While it does not have the force of a law or official policy, the 69-page report will be used over the next 100 days for the MAHA commission to fashion a plan that can be implemented during the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term, Kennedy said in a call with reporters. He refused to provide details about who authored the report.
Kennedy has been on Capitol Hill this week, offering reassurances to lawmakers and farmers worried that new pesticide regulations could disrupt farming operations and raise food costs.
Critics fear the report may lead to sweeping regulations on widely used chemicals like glyphosate and atrazine, which are pesticides often targeted by environmental advocates for their health risks.
While some activists worry Kennedy may back away from strong regulatory action, others are concerned the report isn’t be based 100% on science.
“The Make America Healthy Again Report is filled with fear-based rather than science-based information about pesticides,” the National Corn Growers Association said in a statement.
‘Get rid of worst of the worst’: Science director
Pesticides like glyphosate, found in Roundup weed killer, and atrazine have long been controversial. They are banned in the European Union but are widely used on corn and sugarcane in the United States.
Anti-pesticide activists claim both are endocrine disruptors and are linked to cancer diagnoses.
Environmental health experts like Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, argue that while not all pesticides should be banned, the most harmful ones must be eliminated.
“What we’d like to see is some of the most harmful pesticides used in this country to get banned, to go away. We don’t want to ban all pesticides. I don’t think that would be particularly great from an economic perspective,” Donley said. “I think it would be incredibly difficult from a farming perspective. But we should still be getting rid of the worst of the worst.”
70+ lawmakers send RFK Jr. opposing letters
Last month, more than 70 lawmakers sent a letter to Kennedy, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin urging them to ensure the report remains free from lobbyists or advocacy groups’ influence.
The EPA, in a statement to NewsNation, emphasized the Trump administration’s commitment to balancing economic growth.
“The Trump administration is working to solve big problems and having robust conversations across government about how to drive economic growth while protecting human health and the environment as part of the Make America Healthy Again Commission,” the agency said.
Proximity to golf courses linked to Parkinson’s
Beyond food, recent research suggests pesticide exposure may also pose risks in residential areas.
A study from the American Medical Association found that people living within a mile of a golf course have a 126% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those living more than six miles away.
While not conclusive, the findings called for further investigation into long-term pesticide exposure.
The study’s author cautioned there’s no immediate need for people near golf courses to relocate, but highlighted the importance of deeper research into pesticide impacts on health.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
