President Trump Establishes the Make America Healthy Again Commission

Structure and Mission for the MAHA Commission

Structure

The Executive Order establishes Secretary Kennedy, in his role as HHS Secretary, as the MAHA Commission’s chair, with Vince Haley, in his role as the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy serving as the Executive Director. Other members of the Commission must include the following officials, or their designees:

• Brooke Rollins, in her role as the Secretary of Agriculture;

• Scott Turner, in his role as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

• the Secretary of Education, for which Linda McMahon has been nominated;

• Douglas Collins, in his role as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

• Lee Zeldin, in his role as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;

• Russell Vought, in his role as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

• Stephen Miller, in his role as the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy;

• Kevin Hassett, in his role as the Director of the National Economic Council;

• the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, for which Stephen Miran has been nominated;

• the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, for which Michael Kratsios has been nominated;

• the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, for which Marty Makary has been nominated;

• the Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for which David Weldon has been nominated;

• the Director of the National Institutes of Health, for which Jay Bhattacharya has been nominated; and

• “other members of the Trump Administration invited to participate, at the discretion of the HHS Secretary and the [MAHA Commission’s] Executive Director.”

While the MAHA Commission does not include interested parties such as industry stakeholders or academics in its membership, the Executive Order provides that  Secretary Kennedy may hold “public hearings, meetings, roundtables, and similar events … [to] receive expert input from leaders in public health and Government accountability.”

Mission

As mentioned above, the initial mission of the MAHA Commission is “to advise and assist the President on how best to exercise his authority to address the childhood chronic disease crisis.” The Commission is directed to:  

• “Study the scope of the childhood chronic disease crisis and any potential contributing causes, including the American diet, absorption of toxic material, medical treatments, lifestyle, environmental factors, Government policies, food production techniques, electromagnetic radiation, and corporate influence or cronyism;”  

• Advise and assist the President on informing the public regarding the childhood chronic disease crisis; and

• Provide to the President Government-wide recommendations on policy and strategy related to addressing the identified contributing causes of and ending the childhood chronic disease crisis.

Requirements for the Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment

Within 100 days of the Executive Order (by May 24, 2025), the MAHA Commission must submit a “Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment” to the President.  Among other things, the assessment is required to: 

• Assess the threat that “certain food ingredients, certain chemicals, and certain other exposures pose to children with respect to chronic inflammation or other established mechanisms of disease;”

• Identify and report on “best practices for preventing childhood health issues, including through proper nutrition and the promotion of healthy lifestyles;”

• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing educational nutrition programs with regard to nutrition, physical activity, and mental health for children;

• Identify and evaluate existing Federal programs and funding intended to prevent and treat childhood health issues for their scope and effectiveness; 

• Eliminate “undue industry influence” by “releasing findings and underlying data to the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, and increasing methodological rigor;” and

• Establish a framework for transparency and ethics review in industry-funded projects.

Issuance of the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy

After submitting the Assessment, and within 180 days of the Executive Order (by August 12, 2025),  the MAHA Commission must then submit a “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy” based on the findings from the Assessment. The Strategy must address restructuring the federal government’s response to the childhood chronic disease crisis, “including by ending Federal practices that exacerbate the health crisis or unsuccessfully attempt to address it, and by adding powerful new solutions that will end childhood chronic disease.” Thereafter, the MAHA Commission Chair and Executive Director must recommend updates to the President on the Commission’s mission, including desired reports. However, “the Commission shall not reconvene, following submission of the Strategy, until an updated mission is submitted to the President through the Executive Director.”

Next Steps

The establishment of the MAHA Commission is a significant first step for the Trump Administration, through Secretary Kennedy, to effect transformational changes that could significantly impact the food regulatory environment. Given the short timeline for the Commission’s work, interested stakeholders should quickly evaluate how they can ensure the MAHA Commission has access to the best available science, data, and information to inform its recommendations. Stakeholders also should stay abreast of the MAHA Commission’s efforts and consider participating in any public engagement opportunities. We will continue to closely monitor and keep you updated on similar new developments that impact the food industry.