Are MAGA and MAHA Heading for Divorce
5 hours ago
- #Public Health
- #Political Conflict
- #Regulatory Policy
- FDA withdrew a proposed rule requiring talc product asbestos testing, seemingly without Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s knowledge, benefiting Johnson & Johnson in lawsuits.
- The withdrawal was coordinated by White House lawyers and OMB after Johnson & Johnson executives visited, undermining Kennedy's MAHA agenda and exposing his limited influence.
- Kennedy's leadership at HHS is marked by chaos, weak management, high staff turnover, and distractions, such as discussing UFOs, while preventable diseases like measles surge.
- Kennedy purged and replaced the vaccine advisory committee ACIP with controversial appointees, but internal interference, legal challenges, and resignations hampered its independence and effectiveness.
- The MAHA-MAGA alliance, formed for political expediency, is strained, with the White House undermining MAHA priorities on pesticides and vaping, leading to disillusionment and talk of divorce.