Happy Friday, and welcome to Food Fix. It’s been a tragic week here in Washington with the deadly plane and helicopter collision. Praying for all of the families of the victims, the first responders and the federal investigators who hopefully make sure something like this never happens again.
Food Fix on air: I joined Vox’s Today, Explained podcast to talk about the “Make America Healthy Again” movement and what might come next. In the segment, host Noel King interviews RFK Jr. advisor Calley Means to dig into what RFK Jr. and the Trump administration want to do in this space.
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As always, I welcome your feedback. Reply to this email to land in my inbox, or drop me a line: helena@foodfix.co.
Alright, let’s get to it –
Helena
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Three takeaways from RFK Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearings
This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump‘s pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, faced more than six hours of questions from lawmakers in two back-to-back confirmation hearings and emerged with his nomination on shakier ground than when he started.
As I wrote earlier this week, Kennedy’s performance in these hearings really does matter. His confirmation has been seen as likely, but not assured. There are a handful of key Republicans reportedly still deciding how they will vote — Kennedy can only lose three GOP votes, assuming no Democrats break ranks here — and I don’t think these confirmation hearings helped him lock things down.
Here are three takeaways from the hearings this week:
Clinging to claims counter to evidence could tank RFK Jr’s nomination.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from the hearings is that RFK Jr. could be seriously risking his confirmation by refusing to disavow claims he’s made that simply do not have evidence to back them up. The central issue here is Kennedy’s long track record of falsely claiming that vaccines cause autism when every major scientific study that’s looked at this question has found no association.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) — one of the committees that grilled Kennedy this week — really drilled down into this on Thursday, repeatedly trying to get Kennedy to correct the record, but he refused at every turn. While RFK Jr. did soften his overall tone on vaccines (more on that below), he refused to correct unbacked claims about a link to autism.
Cassidy concluded the hearing by saying he was “struggling” with whether to vote for Kennedy — he is crucial not just as chair of Senate HELP, but he’s also a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which will vote on whether to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the full Senate (the HELP committee doesn’t vote). His dissent could easily tank Kennedy’s nomination.
“As someone who has discussed immunizations with thousands of people, I understand that mothers want reassurance that the vaccine their child is receiving is necessary, safe, and effective,” Cassidy said in his closing statement. “I think I can say that I have approached it using the preponderance of evidence to reassure; and you have approached using selected evidence to cast doubt.”
Cassidy suggested that if Kennedy were to simply come out and say “‘vaccines are safe, it does not cause autism’ that would have an incredible impact.”
The Louisiana Republican said he might be calling Kennedy this weekend to discuss things further. He made it sound like he’s really struggling with this decision — and surely his office is being flooded with calls (from both sides) trying to sway his thinking.
While Cassidy is the Republican player to watch here, Democrats were pretty much in lock step with deep concerns about the nomination. They skewered Kennedy on his record on vaccines, abortion, his lack of expertise on Medicaid and Medicare policy and accused him of spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories. In one particularly shocking exchange, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) couldn’t get RFK Jr. to disavow unfounded conspiracy theories about 9/11. (To be clear, we never thought Kaine would vote for Kennedy, but this kind of thing is a big ol’ red flag for anyone who might still be on the fence). Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) who was seen as a possible “yes” vote said he thought RFK Jr. was in trouble after this week.
There’s suddenly bipartisan agreement on food supply making us sick.
While Kennedy refused to acknowledge the lack of evidence tying autism to vaccines, his overall take on vaccines was toned down compared to what he’s been saying for years, and, in some cases, directly contradictory. The Washington Post did a good video mashup on this. Kennedy even said he would tell parents to follow the CDC schedule for vaccinating their kids — which was likely shocking for his followers to hear. While he changed his tune on vaccines, he doubled down on his concerns about the food supply. (As I noted earlier this week, some anti-vax advocates that helped propel Kennedy to where he is are furious he’s pivoted so much to talking about food.)
Unlike vaccines, Kennedy’s claims about the U.S. food supply poisoning Americans were generally well received on Capitol Hill. I lost count of how many lawmakers I heard say something to the effect of: I agree with you on food, but I’m concerned about your stance on vaccines, etc.
It’s hard to overstate how big of a change this is. Even a year ago, it would have been unthinkable to have a hearing like this, with a fierce critic of the food industry, and not hear lawmakers bring up pro-food industry talking points — most likely it would be on the Republican side, but certainly centrist Democrats would have participated, too. In more than six hours of questioning, however, I didn’t detect even a whiff of defense for the food industry. (Earlier this week I shared a poll from AP that found broad public support across the political spectrum for some of Kennedy’s ideas on food, a stark contrast to relatively weak support for reconsidering vaccines.)
Cassidy, for his part, brought it up in his closing statement: “There are issues we are…ultra-processed foods, obesity — we are simpatico. We are completely aligned.”
And just so we’re clear, Kennedy was repeatedly quite blunt in his assessment of the American diet — and particularly critical of relatively lax regulation of food chemicals: “We are allowing these companies, because of their influence over this body, over our regulatory agencies, to mass poison American children — and that’s wrong,” he said. “It needs to end. I believe I’m the one person who’s able to end it.”
Kennedy still has his sights on agriculture policy.
Because RFK world hasn’t yet been successful in getting any of its preferred picks — more reform-minded folks — in leadership positions at USDA, the conventional wisdom in Washington has been that Kennedy has been boxed out of ag policy. But he repeatedly brought up the issue during his confirmation hearings, indicating that he intends to keep speaking out on it, even though most of the issues fall under USDA. (Trump has nominated Brooke Rollins for that role — in case you missed it, we covered her hearings last Friday.)
“MAHA simply cannot succeed if we do not have the partnership of America’s farmers,” Kennedy said in his opening statement before both committees.
On Thursday, when Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) asked about how farmers fit into the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, Kennedy did not hesitate to suggest that we need to fundamentally change how American farmers farm.
“We have to offer farmers an off ramp from chemically-intensive agriculture, which they don’t want to do,” Kennedy said. He brought up the fact that Parkinson’s rates are higher among farmers. “There’s illness all over the farm community and it’s undoubtedly related to the intensity of chemical pesticides. We need to reduce that. But I’m not going to do anything coercive.”
Kennedy said Trump instructed him to “take care of the farmers and make sure they’re full partners.”
While Kennedy was careful to not suggest there would be any regulations or forced changes, a would-be cabinet official calling out American agriculture for being chemically-intensive and causing farmer illness would previously have been considered highly controversial.
After watching all of this unfold this week, I couldn’t help but wonder if the policy landscape has permanently shifted on some of these food and ag issues, regardless of what happens with Kennedy’s nomination.
What’s next: The future of this nomination rests with Sen. Cassidy. We’ll just have to wait and see where he lands.
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What I’m reading
USDA inspector general escorted out of her office after defying White House (Reuters). “Security agents escorted the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of her office on Monday after she refused to comply with her firing by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters,” reports Rachael Levy. “Phyllis Fong, a 22-year veteran of the department, had earlier told colleagues that she intended to stay after the White House terminated her Friday, saying that she didn’t believe the administration had followed proper protocols, the sources said. In an email to colleagues on Saturday, reviewed by Reuters, she said the independent Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency ‘has taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time.’ The White House defended the firing of Fong and the other inspectors general, saying ‘these rogue, partisan bureaucrats… have been relieved of their duties in order to make room for qualified individuals who will uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy.’”
What happens to SNAP benefits after judge pauses Trump’s federal funding freeze (Newsweek). “President Donald Trump has ordered a freeze on all federal assistance loans and grants, and there has been considerable confusion over what exactly is being targeted by the wide-ranging move,” reports Aliss Higham. “While the order has been temporarily halted by a U.S. district judge until early February, many have been wondering whether Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are included in the wide-ranging clampdown on federal spending. The memo outlines that it ’does not include assistance provided directly to individuals,’ and following its issuance, a senior administration official told Reuters that SNAP benefits and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will not be impacted. ‘The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,’ the memo, authored by Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director for the Office of Management and Budget, reads. ‘This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities.’”
RFK Jr. sought to trademark MAHA for vaccine marketing, transferred to ally (Washington Post). “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee for the nation’s top health post, applied in recent months to trademark his signature slogan, “Make America Healthy Again,” to potentially market supplements, vitamins, essential oils and cryptocurrency, according to documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,” reports Lauren Weber. “Kennedy in December transferred ownership of the trademark application for the slogan and its abbreviation — MAHA — to an LLC managed by Del Bigtree, who, like Kennedy, has disparaged vaccines. The documents list an assortment of items the trademark could be used for — including vaccines. Kennedy, who is coming under scrutiny for his history of anti-vaccine statements during Senate confirmation hearings this week, has vowed to disrupt a government he says is failing to improve America’s health.”
Why Lay’s potato chip recall was elevated to FDA’s deadliest category (Forbes). “Lay’s potato chips, a pantry staple, are now the latest product under a serious FDA recall,” writes Stephanie Gravalese. “The reason? Undeclared milk—a top food allergen—was found in select bags of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips. The recall has now been escalated to Class I, the highest risk level, meaning consuming these chips could cause life-threatening reactions. The Lay’s potato chips recall began on December 13, 2024, when Frito-Lay announced that over 6,000 bags of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips sold in Oregon and Washington contained undeclared milk. This oversight poses a life-threatening risk to individuals with milk allergies. On Jan. 27, 2025, the FDA escalated the recall to Class I, its most serious classification. For consumers with allergies, this designation is more than a warning—it’s a stark reminder of the stakes involved in food safety.”
Will Vt. lawmakers cancel $18M universal school meal program? (WCAX 3). “In an effort to keep property taxes in check this year, Vermont Governor Phil Scott on Tuesday pitched a pair of ideas in his budget address. One would take other state revenues to prop up the Education Fund. The other would reduce spending by eliminating Vermont’s recently approved universal school meal law and reverting back to pre-pandemic federal benefits,” reports Calvin Cutler. “During the pandemic — when many children were forced to stay home — the federal government footed the bill for all kids to receive free breakfasts and lunch regardless of family income. After the cash ran dry two years ago, Vermont taxpayers began footing the bill, drawing from the state’s $2.4 billion Education Fund. As part of a plan to keep taxes flat, the governor is proposing rolling back the $18 million meal program. He’s concerned that less affluent families are paying more in property taxes for meals for students whose families can afford to pay. He says he wants to go back to the previous system where the federal government subsidized meals for low-income families.”
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