Eight months into his second presidency, some of Donald Trump’s cabinet-level picks have proven to be outstanding — in particular his selections of Chris Wright for Secretary of Energy and Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior — befitting the reputation he seeks to cultivate for himself as hiring the “best people.” A few of his other selections, however, have been more questionable. This has necessitated that the president intervene when these less orthodox cabinet members overstep their roles, in order to bring them back in line with the agenda he was elected to carry out.
Take, for instance, the negative rhetoric surrounding pesticide use coming from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again commission. While the commission has been tasked with advising and assisting the President on addressing the childhood chronic disease crisis — a cause we can all get behind — a recently released report made dangerous claims that would completely upend the agricultural community if taken at face value.
The report, released with Secretary Kennedy’s blessing, calls for a ban on pesticides and wrongly labels crop protection tools as a “danger to people’s health.” It uses questionable science to indict standard farming practices, relying on small studies and weak citations to suggest links between pesticides and cancer or other diseases. In doing so, it disregards the extensive body of research showing that pesticides, when used according to EPA guidelines, pose minimal risk to human health.
Rather than acknowledging the rigorous safety protocols pesticides must meet — including ecological and human health risk assessments, as well as comprehensive laboratory and field testing — the report substitutes selective and unproven claims. It also fails to consider important confounding factors like lifestyle and pre-existing health conditions, undermining its own credibility in the process.
That’s why the White House’s decision to reject the report’s findings is so important. As a longtime advocate for the agricultural community, I am relieved the administration has dismissed the tenuous findings of the report and affirmed there are “no plans to crack down on pesticides in farming.” The move by the White House to boldly counter Secretary Kennedy’s report provides much-needed relief to millions of farmers and others who work tremendously hard every day to keep America fed, reaffirms its support for this community, and prevents us from needlessly risking our nation’s food security.
Blurring the line between occupational exposure and what the average person encounters underpins Secretary Kennedy’s attempts to undermine real science — or what he claims is the chemical industry’s influence on toxicology studies. By relying on selective data and overstated claims, Kennedy irresponsibly pumps fear into American families, who should be encouraged to consume safe, healthy American agricultural products. Instead, Secretary Kennedy risks discouraging consumers from eating fruits and vegetables by casting doubt. Convincing Americans that our nation’s produce causes cancer will not help “Make America Healthy Again.”
While I am grateful for the White House’s swift action and dedication to America’s farming community, I still have reservations about the dangerous sentiment that Secretary Kennedy and the MAHA commission are sowing among the American public. The Trump administration must continue to rein in this rhetoric in order to restore public trust in the safety of America’s food supply and agricultural industry, and to ensure that our nation’s food supply remains both safe and abundant.
RFK JR.’S WAR ON VACCINES AND PUBLIC HEALTH CONTINUES
I encourage President Trump to make sure that his Cabinet members, specifically Secretary Kennedy, use evidence-based science to guide their decision-making and policy proposals. The use of faulty, activist-based “science” has the potential to irreparably damage entire industries and erode consumer confidence and public trust. Secretary Kennedy’s assertions have the power to create real, extensive consequences, including jeopardizing the very thing he claims to fight for: the health of all Americans.
The responsible use of crop protection technologies — including pesticides — has allowed American farmers to safely feed not only ourselves and our children, but the world. To “Make America Healthy Again,” we must not villainize the industry that is diligently taking every precaution to ensure that America’s crops and food supply remain safe, abundant, reliable, and sustainable.
Congressman Scott Tipton served Colorado’s third congressional district from 2011-2021 and was a member of the House Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee.