Year One: MAHA’s Key Accomplishments and What Should be Next

**Original post with the Here are the Headlines, February 20, 2026.

The MAHA Movement officially turned one a couple of months ago with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrapping up his first year as Secretary of Health and Human Services. He promised a lot of change, navigated controversy, and achieved some major policy wins as MAHA leader.

What are MAHA’s key accomplishments, and which will have the biggest impact in years to come? Most importantly, how should Christians think about MAHA’s achievements?

First, let’s recall the context of the MAHA movement—the declining state of American health. Our wellbeing is worse than ever, despite unprecedented access to healthcare, medication, wellness gadgets, nutrition supplements, fitness programs and influencers galore. Something is amiss, which is precisely what MAHA aims to tackle.

Consider the following statistics from the initial MAHA Commission:

• By 2030, half of all American adults will be obese.
• The majority of people in 10 states will be morbidly obese.
• 60% of Americans battle one or more chronic diseases.
• Nearly half of teens ages 12-18 are already prediabetic.
• More than 50% of the calories we consume come from ultra-processed
• Compared to 100 years ago, we eat 22x more sugar, from 6lbs a year to 130lbs.[1]

The situation is dire. And with 8 of the top 10 most religious states also being the most obese states, these harsh realities should be a wakeup call for Christians.[2] Thankfully, many of MAHA’s achievements offer significant help for our national health moving forward.

What are the accomplishments?[3]

Eliminate food dyes. Without this focus from RFK Jr., most of us would’ve continued consuming petroleum-based food dyes, unaware of their presence in numerous foods. The FDA should reach this lofty goal by the end of the year.

New food pyramid. The revamped food pyramid includes calls to eat less sugar and ultra-processed foods, while getting more protein and whole foods in general. If Americans adjust to these recommendations, it will quickly decrease our intake of sugar, unhealthy fats, and synthetic ingredients.

Less junk with SNAP. SNAP benefits (supplemental nutrition program) will no longer cover sugar-filled drinks and candy. This shift will help those who receive assistance to afford food make better choices that benefit their health. It also means less of your tax dollars paying for someone else’s junk food.

Decreased childhood vaccinations. Under RKF’s leadership, the HHS cut out 4 shots from its recommendations. This move combined with the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control) shift from universal to more individualized recommendations for some vaccines is a big deal.

Replaced vaccine panel. RFK swept out the former experts from the CDC and ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) and replaced them with those who will rebuild trust in vaccination recommendations.

Which will have the biggest impact?

The new food pyramid provides the biggest potential for long-term change to American health. Since the 1980s, rates of obesity and chronic disease steadily increase each year. These changes should turn worsening trends around by getting at the root cause of obesity and chronic disease. The benefit for current and future generations is monumental.

Also, consider MAHA’s trickle-down effect. Several states and food companies are continuing RFK Jr.’s emphasis on healthy food consumption. Florida is leading the fight for real ingredients by creating the website, exposingfoodtoxins.com. It lists food toxins in bread, baby formula, and candy. If you haven’t checked out these lists, prepare to be shocked. Steak and Shake quickly got on board with the MAHA movement by getting rid of seed oils to frying in beef tallow. They continue the push for real foods by removing microwaves from all stores.

What should MAHA tackle next?

Opinions will differ here, but two opportunities with big payoffs involve DTC pharmaceutical advertising and glyphosate.

Most people probably cannot recall the last time they watched a sporting event, the news, or tv show without seeing a pharmaceutical company advertise the latest drug for a condition they’ve never heard of. Direct to consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising increased by 30% at the beginning of 2025 because companies see a 40% increase in drugs purchased when advertised DTC. While this advertising costs billions of dollars, pharmaceutical companies can write it off. Not only are Americans out a billion dollars in tax revenue, but we are also preyed upon by influential advertisements for drugs we may not truly need. It’d be great if MAHA could regulate these targeted ads.[4]

MAHA could also focus on ridding our foods from glyphosate, a toxic ingredient in weedkillers that is sprayed on crops. Consuming wheats, vegetables, soy products mean likely ingesting varying amounts of this herbicide. The FDA cleared its use in 1974, and its widely used today in over 750 products despite the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) labeling it probably carcinogenic.[5]

Christians and the MAHA Movement

Americans will reap untold health benefits from these accomplishments in coming years, a reality that Christians can undoubtedly celebrate. We can agree the state of American health is concerning, and that chronic disease shouldn’t be inevitable as we age. Likewise, lifestyle choices matter, and prevention is better than passively accepting worsening health.

Christians also reflect on the MAHA movement through the lens of Scripture. While MAHA’s accomplishments will boost health and wellbeing, they fail to explain the why behind the what. Why does it matter to eat real foods and combat chronic disease in the first place? Having the tools and knowledge to care for our bodies is great. But without knowing why we should eat well or exercise, our efforts lack a sustainable foundation. Caring for the body doesn’t matter if you don’t know why your body matters.

MAHA needs a meaningful view of the body. That’s where the Christian faith comes in. The Bible explains that God created humans in his image, uniquely forming our bodies in our mother’s womb (Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm 139:13-16). He took on a body to save us from sin and promises to bodily resurrect us after death (John 1:14, Philippians 3:21). God cares about our bodies, and this is our foundation to do the same, as I explain in Embodied Holiness: The Biblical Call to Bodily Care.

While spiritual things are ultimate, physical things are also important (1 Tim 4:8). When you know why your body matters, you seek to glorify God in it, even in eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31). Thankfully, the MAHA movement is helping to clarify that process. In the end, Christians can applaud the progress, care for their health without obsession, and ultimately, offer their bodies in worship to God (Romans 12:1).

[1] The White House, Establishing the President’s Make Amercia Healthy Again Commission, February 13, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/.

[2] Lainey Greer, Embodied Holiness: The Biblical Call to Bodily Care, (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2025), 218-219.

[3] Some of this list is reflected in Sara Moniuszko, “What has RFK Jr. done? 7 major moments from his first year as health secretary,” USA Today, February 13, 2026, https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/02/13/rfk-jr-year-as-health-secretary/88607416007/.

[4] The Campaign for Sustainable RX Pricing, CSRXP Analysis Finds Big Pharmas Direct to Consumer Advertising Costs US Taxpayers Billions of Dollars, March 18, 2025, https://www.csrxp.org/csrxp-analysis-finds-big-pharmas-direct-to-consumer-dtc-advertising-costs-u-s-taxpayers-billions-of-dollars/.

[5] National Pesticide Information Center, What is Glyphosate?, https://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html.