The Make America Healthy Again movement has emerged as one of the Trump administration’s clearest political assets ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The movement spearheaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has drawn in parents, wellness advocates, and health-focused voters who say Washington is finally addressing issues they have raised for years.
But that same coalition is increasingly saying that deregulation at the Environmental Protection Agency threatens to undercut MAHA’s appeal, turning a potential advantage into a liability.
In recent months, the administration has leaned heavily into the MAHA agenda, staging a near-constant series of White House events featuring Kennedy, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. Together, they have rolled out initiatives spanning food policy, chronic disease prevention, school nutrition, and vaccine oversight, positioning health reform as one of the administration’s most visible governing priorities.
The announcements have ranged from updates to federal dietary guidance and school meal standards to a broader push to refocus public health on chronic disease. Most recently, Kennedy oversaw the rollout of a revamped federal food pyramid aimed at promoting whole foods over ultra-processed diets, and the administration has pointed to allowing whole milk back in school lunches as another piece of its nutrition reset.
For supporters of MAHA, the changes have carried both symbolic and practical weight. Courtney Swan, a clean-food activist with a master’s degree in nutrition, said she was surprised by how emotional she felt when the new food pyramid was released.
“I was emotional when the real food pyramid came out,” Swan said, noting that while critics dismissed it as symbolic, dietary guidelines still shape food served in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and federal nutrition programs. “I never thought I would see federal guidance that actually says Americans need to eat more real food,” she said.
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, Republicans increasingly see MAHA as a source of political momentum, especially after the movement helped fuel 2024 victories.
“American parents are worried about what their kids are eating, why everyone seems sicker than they used to be, and why nobody in Washington ever talked about it until recently,” said Greg Manz, a senior GOP strategist at Direct Edge Campaigns. “So when the Trump administration highlights food quality or preventative health, that’s not some clever political trick. It’s meeting voters where they already are, especially suburban moms.”
With Republicans facing a difficult midterm environment and few clear policy wins that resonate beyond the party base, strategists say the appeal of MAHA lies in its ability to reach voters who might otherwise drift away in a backlash election.
But while MAHA has generated enthusiasm around food, nutrition, and what supporters describe as medical freedom, the movement has also placed the administration on a collision course with longtime Republican allies in agriculture and chemical manufacturing. Activists argue that the administration’s posture at the Environmental Protection Agency stands in sharp contrast to reforms unfolding at HHS and the Department of Agriculture.
Kelly Ryerson, an environmental health advocate known online as the “Glyphosate Girl,” said the disconnect between agencies has become increasingly difficult for MAHA supporters to reconcile.
“It’s incredible to see what’s happening at HHS and USDA,” Ryerson said. “Those changes feel long overdue. But then you look at the EPA, and it feels completely misaligned with the rest of the administration.”
The EPA has also moved to continue allowing the use of dicamba, a widely used but highly controversial herbicide linked to crop damage, environmental harm, and health concerns, and that has been banned or sharply restricted in several countries.
In recent months, the agency has drawn backlash by signaling plans to approve and expand the use of pesticides containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally and can persist in the environment and human bodies for decades.
Critics argue that those moves cut against the administration’s broader MAHA message on chronic disease and toxic exposure, particularly as parents and health advocates grow more focused on the long-term health effects of chemical use in food production.
Ryerson pointed to those decisions as emblematic of a broader problem.
“I don’t think we can really make America healthy again until the EPA is fully on board,” she said. “People care about food, vaccines, and chemical exposure. You can’t fix two and ignore the third.”
Ryerson pointed to EPA decisions easing scrutiny of certain chemicals, approving pesticide products MAHA activists oppose, and backing deregulatory efforts that she says prioritize industry over public health. The EPA maintains that the chemicals at issue do not meet the legal definition of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a broad class of compounds associated with elevated cancer risk and long-term environmental persistence.
The agency pushed back on claims that it is undercutting the administration’s MAHA agenda, arguing that its work is grounded in science and focused on public health outcomes. An agency spokesperson said President Donald Trump’s EPA is coordinating closely with Kennedy and other MAHA leaders, pointing to early reviews of fluoride safety, billions invested in cleaning up PFAS and lead contamination, new safety orders under the Toxic Substances Control Act, and accelerated environmental cleanups in communities long overlooked by previous administrations.
“Anyone who thinks EPA is out of step with the MAHA movement is missing the big picture,” the spokesperson said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
Frustration over the agency’s direction boiled over last year when MAHA-aligned activists launched an online petition calling for the removal of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, arguing his leadership eroded protections against hazardous environmental chemicals. Ryerson said activists later met with EPA officials, but have seen little indication of a change in direction.
That dissatisfaction has since moved beyond internal advocacy and into open political pressure. “I’m seeing people openly say they’re done,” Ryerson said. “They’re asking how we can talk about health and prevention while still spraying our food with glyphosate and approving more forever chemicals. For a lot of people, that’s a dealbreaker.”
She added that many voters drawn into MAHA do not see themselves as Republicans and are prepared to vote accordingly if the EPA’s trajectory does not change.
“These are not loyal Republican voters,” Ryerson said. “A lot of them are former Democrats or independents. They came here because they believed this administration was finally going to stand up to chemical companies. If that doesn’t happen, they will absolutely walk.”
Swan echoed that warning, saying MAHA supporters are closely watching how the administration navigates the tension between health reform and environmental regulation.
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“A lot of people in this movement aren’t loyal to a party,” Swan said. “They’re loyal to outcomes. And if they don’t feel like their families are actually being protected, they’re not going to stick around just because of a label.”
“Delivering on the MAHA Agenda remains a top priority for President Trump one year into office,” White House Deputy press secretary Kush Desai told the Washington Examiner. “The Trump administration has already delivered historic MAHA wins, and every agency that touches on the health and well-being of the American people, from HHS to the EPA to USDA, is aligned on President Trump’s push to continue to Make America Healthy Again.”
