On Tuesday, September 9, the Make America Healthy Again Commission released a long-awaited strategy outlining 120 initiatives to make children healthy again.
At a press conference, the commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy aiming to “reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic.”
President Trump established the MAHA Commission by executive order on February 13, 2025, tasking it with providing an assessment on children’s health and a strategy to end childhood chronic disease. The commission previously released the assessment on May 22.
“The Trump Administration is mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic,” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement announcing the strategy’s release.
The 20-page report proposes five key focus areas of the strategy:
- Restoring Science & Research: Expanding NIH and agency research into chronic disease prevention, nutrition and metabolic health, and food quality.
- Historic Executive Actions: Reforming dietary guidelines; defining ultra-processed foods; improving food labeling; removing harmful chemicals from the food supply; improving food served in schools, hospitals, and to veterans.
- Process Reform & Deregulation: Streamlining organic certification; easing barriers to farm-to-school programs and direct-to-consumer sales; modernizing FDA drug and device approval.
- Public Awareness & Education: Launching school-based nutrition and fitness campaigns, Surgeon General initiatives on screen time, prioritizing pediatric mental health, and expanding access to reliable nutrition and health information for parents.
- Private Sector Collaboration: Promoting awareness of healthier meals at restaurants, soil health and land stewardship, and community-led initiatives, and scaling innovative solutions to address root causes of chronic disease.
Secretary Kennedy added,
This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history – realigning our food and health systems, driving education, and unleashing science to protect America’s children and families.
We are ending the corporate capture of public health, restoring transparency, and putting gold-standard science – not special interests – at the center of every decision.
Secretary Kennedy chairs the MAHA commission which includes:
- Domestic Policy Council (DPC) Director Vince Haley
- Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary
- HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill
- National Economic Council (NEC) Director Kevin Hassett
- Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) Vice Chair Pierre Yared
- Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios.
“For too long health care has used a reactive approach to chronic diseases,” Commissioner Makary said about the strategy.
“I am pleased to support the findings of the MAHA commission and to promote a more proactive approach, tackling root causes undermining the health and happiness of American children.”
Director Bhattacharya added,
The MAHA Report provides a blueprint for the entire government to focus on solving the chronic disease crisis facing American children.
We must make America healthy again so our children live longer and healthier lives than we will.
You can watch the commission’s press conference revealing the strategy below:
In May, the MAHA Commission released a 72-page assessment detailing the chronic childhood disease crisis.
The report found that “over 40% of U.S. children suffer from at least one chronic condition and over 75% of American youth are unfit to serve in the military ‘primarily due to obesity, poor physical fitness, and/or mental health challenges.’”
Furthermore, the report found that “almost 70% of the average American child’s diet is made up of ultra-processed foods leading to obesity, diabetes and other chronic health conditions,” while children continue to be exposed to “‘an increasing number of synthetic chemicals,’ of which some are linked to chronic disease.”
It’s clear that action is needed to address America’s health crisis. Hopefully the MAHA Commission’s strategy will begin the long process of restoring children’s health.
In the meantime, check out our available articles and resources below on how to help children live healthy lives.
Related articles and resources:
Understanding the Spiritual Impact of Healthy Living
Beware, Little Minds: Raising Mentally Healthy Kids
Keeping Your Kids Healthy Year Round
Helping Kids Develop Good Eating Habits
Healthy Eating Habits for Kids
Encouraging Healthy Habits at Home
Raising Healthy, Resilient Kids
New Report Validates MAHA Moms, RFK Jr. Assesses Declining Health of Children
RFK, Jr. and the MAHA Movement Shake Things Up at HHS
Froot Loops, RFK, Jr. and Making America Healthy Again
Photo from Getty Images.
