U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), along with a coalition of Republican senators, has sent a letter to key members of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, urging them to prioritize “sound science and risk-based analysis” in their final policy recommendations, particularly concerning crop protection tools and food-grade ingredients.
The letter, addressed to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, expresses concern that environmental activist groups may be attempting to influence the commission’s work with “misguided and sometimes even malicious policies masquerading as health solutions.”
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“We write to express our strong appreciation for your leadership and interest in working with each of you to ensure America has the healthiest people in the world,” the senators wrote. “In recent decades, chronic illness rates have risen. This warrants our careful scrutiny to support better health outcomes. It is essential that policies supported by sound science and risk-based analyses are used to accomplish this goal.”
The lawmakers highlighted the importance of safeguarding the commission’s work from activist groups, arguing that their influence could lead to “shoddy science; a less abundant, less affordable food supply; greater reliance on foreign adversaries for our food; diminished U.S. agricultural production and manufacturing; and, ultimately, poorer health outcomes.”
Specifically, the senators raised concerns about attempts to ban safe, well-regulated agricultural inputs, emphasizing that these tools are essential for maintaining crop yields and quality. They also addressed the misrepresentation of science regarding common food and feed categories, such as plant-based oils.
“We have concerns that environmentalists are advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health,” the letter stated. “Despite insinuations to the contrary, regular testing by FDA and USDA finds that more than 99% of all pesticide residues meet extremely conservative limits established by EPA according to the best available science.”
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The letter further emphasizes that unfounded accusations against U.S. farmers and food supply chains can lead to significant increases in grocery prices without any public health benefits.
The signatories, including Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Mike Rounds (R-SD), called upon the commission to protect American agricultural producers from what they perceive as environmental activists’ attacks on proven-safe inputs.
The senators concluded by imploring the secretaries and administrator to ensure that policy decisions are “grounded in sound science and risk-based analyses,” emphasizing the importance of unity in promoting both agricultural viability and positive health outcomes.
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