Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to poke fun at Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia’s weight Friday while he was in the state to promote initiatives to improve citizens’ health.
Morrisey signed legislation imposing a statewide ban on the use of certain food dyes into law Monday, affecting popular products like Mountain Dew, Froot Loops cereal, M&Ms candy, Utz Cheese Balls, Skittles candy and Lucky Charms cereal. Kennedy, who joined Morrisey at a Martinsville, W.Va. school, joked about meeting that state’s governor for the first time during the presidential transition.
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“The first time I saw him, I said, ‘You look like you ate Governor Morrisey,’” Kennedy said. “And — and there was a lot of talk about getting healthy again, and I’m very happy that he’s invited me to be his personal trainer. And I am going to put him — I’m going to put him on a really rigorous regimen. And we’re going to put him on a carnivore diet.”
“We’re going to make him do — raise your hand if you want Governor Morrisey to do a public weigh-in once a month,” Kennedy added. “And then, when he’s lost 30 pounds I’m going to come back to the state and do a celebration and a public weigh-in with him.”
One of Morrisey’s proposals aligns with Kennedy’s desire to remove sugary drinks, including sodas, from eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as “food stamps.” Morrisey said he would seek a waiver to bar the use of food stamps to purchase soda, the Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram reported.
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Kennedy has sought to address a rising chronic disease rate that affects roughly three in five Americans as part of a Make America Healthy Again movement, which has been known as MAHA.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that “most children have no adverse effects” when eating food with the artificial dyes.
“The FDA has reviewed and will continue to examine the effects of color additives on children’s behavior,” the agency said on its website.
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
