{"id":38574,"date":"2025-05-30T00:01:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T04:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=38574"},"modified":"2025-06-02T12:44:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T16:44:36","slug":"making-america-healthy-again-commission-report-raises-health-concerns-with-pesticides-draws-industry-criticism-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2025\/05\/making-america-healthy-again-commission-report-raises-health-concerns-with-pesticides-draws-industry-criticism-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"MAHA Commission Report Raises Health Concerns with Pesticides, Draws Industry Criticism\u2014What’s Next?"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, May 30, 2025) The Making America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report, Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment<\/a>, <\/em>published on May 23, drew criticism from the pesticide industry and agribusiness allies for pointing to independent science that identifies a range of pesticide-induced health hazards.* The Commission, chaired by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS<\/a>), is composed of the heads of numerous agencies of the federal government and the White House, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA<\/a>), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA<\/a>), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller.<\/p>\n

The MAHA Commission was established by Executive Order 14212<\/a> on February 13, 2025. Despite extensive citations to the science on pesticide hazards, the report includes a section on \u201cCrop Protection Tools,\u201d in which there is a repetition of chemical industry talking points that pesticide residues in food comply with existing tolerances, thus implying that pesticides in food are safe. (See USDA Pesticide Data Program Continues to Mislead the Public on Pesticide Residue Exposure<\/a>.) However, overall the report\u2019s introduction sets a tone that seeks to catalogue what is identified as the \u201cstark reality of American children’s declining health, backed by compelling data and long-term trends\u201d and sets as a goal proposed efforts that \u201cbegin reversing the childhood chronic disease crisis by confronting its root causes \u2013 not just its symptoms.\u201d Whether these are just words in a document or will result in changes in policies and practices that are transformational remains to be seen in the administration\u2019s follow-up efforts.<\/p>\n

In a section entitled \u201cCorporate Capture and the Revolving Door,\u201d the report notes the influence of the chemical industry over government policy, stating, \u201cThe chemical-manufacturing industry spent roughly $77 million on federal lobbying activities in 2024, while 60% of their lobbyists previously held federal posts.\u201d This is a longstanding criticism, having characterized the first and second Trump administrations. The report is notable for what it has ignored, such as the disproportionate adverse effects<\/a> that the children of farmworkers, frontline communities, and people of color suffer as a result of pesticide exposure. The report\u2019s emphasis on the need to close research gaps, suggesting complementing animal test data with computational biology and other New Approach Methodologies [NAMs], will require critical analysis and meaningful public vetting.<\/p>\n

MAHA Commission and Executive Order<\/h2>\n

The goals of the MAHA Commission are threefold:<\/p>\n