MAHA Commission recommendations on improving government-directed research merit consideration

President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again Commission released the “Making Our Children Health Again” report, which seeks to evaluate health trends among America’s youth, what is driving those trends, and recommendations on addressing them. The Make America Healthy Again Commission was established by Executive Order in February.

The first section enumerates a number of negative health trends such as diabetes, autism, and obesity. The report lays the blame for this decline in health primarily on ultra-processed food and corporate interests including food, pharmaceutical, and chemical companies. The report concludes with ten recommendations that focus on additional study, data, and research reforms.

CEI senior fellow and economist Jeremy Nighohossian said:

“Americans’ health is a product of many factors which include the health care economy but also individual choice regarding diet and exercise. The best role government can play is to ensure Americans are well informed about any adverse effects. Today’s MAHA report outlines many concerning trends with regard to the health of children but provides insufficient support to link many of its proposed causes to those trends. Still, there is space for improvement in research directed by the government, and the commission’s recommendations in that area merit consideration.”

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