The EPA Met with MAHA

and took accountability!

Before I get into the topic at hand, I want to define MAHA (Make America Healthy Again). MAHA is not the Trump Administration, it’s not the HHS, it’s not even RFK Jr. MAHA is a movement, started by and backed by RFK Jr (the current HHS secretary), which is made up of activists. These activists are doctors, nutritionists and passionate health enthusiasts across various fields. MAHA activists will advise and petition the HHS as well as other departments under the Trump Administration in areas of public health concern which have been previously overlooked—such as drinking water quality, air quality, agricultural concerns, food manufacturing, etc. A huge focus of MAHA is environmental contaminants which are far more heavily regulated in other countries—such as lead, pesticides, PFAS, VOCs, etc.— and which have been increasingly linked to the chronic illness epidemic in the United States.

This month, MAHA saw a huge win. Leaders within the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) called for meetings with key MAHA activists after receiving pressure from the movement as they petitioned for the removal of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. Activists began calling for the removal of Zeldin after a year of witnessing roll backs to some incredibly important regulations, particularly around PFAS (I’ve previously discussed the concern of PFAS levels in drinking water). Zeldin was confirmed earlier this year and mentioned the regulation of PFAS 21 times throughout his confirmation hearing. The Biden administration had set new standards for PFAS compliance in drinking water and set a five-year plan to implement them — Zeldin took this initiative and pushed it back to 2031 as well as narrowed the categorization of PFAS. MAHA was also anticipating pesticide bans from the EPA this year, which never were implemented. The EPA also reassessed and maintained the pesticide glyphosate as “non-carcinogenic” which was an unexpected and disappointing development.

The meetings occurred throughout December, and seemed to be hastily set up, as the calls for Zeldin’s firing only began at the end of November. Heads of the EPA Agricultural division, Water division as well as Zeldin himself were confirmed in attendance and met with some of the bigger MAHA voices such as Dr. Alexandra Muñoz, Courtney Swan, and Kelly Ryerson. On December 10, Zeldin announced in a webinar that the EPA was finalizing a MAHA agenda which included plans to improve plastic exposure, replace lead pipes and improve food waste.

Whether or not this MAHA agenda ever sees the light of day, or is implemented, is unknown at this point. The reason this is a huge win is not because any definitive protections have been put into place at this point, it is because these meetings reveal the voice that the MAHA movement has. Calling out Zeldin for an utter failure in taking action on a principle for which he was confirmed, actually caused him to scramble and take accountability. This is huge. This accountability from MAHA activists will continue, and with it, we may see sustainable changes which will dramatically improve the health of ALL Americans.

Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator