Major Shakeups Give Health Department New Direction

_WHAT’S HAPPENING_

President Trump recently instituted a number of health policy changes amid ongoing shakeups centered on fertility and pregnancy, abortion policy, and the direction of federal health agencies.

Over the weekend, the administration proposed a new rule allowing employers to voluntarily offer fertility treatment coverage as an excepted benefit. On Mother’s Day, the White House launched a new website to provide pregnancy and parenting resources. And yesterday, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned following mounting pressure from pro-life advocates and internal friction with Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Follow the full story: MAHA and RFK Jr.'s health agenda

_THE FACTS_

The Trump administration proposed a new rule that would create an exemption for insurance benefits covering fertility treatments, similar to dental and vision coverage.
The administration also launched Moms.gov on Mother's Day, providing resources on breastfeeding, mental health, nutrition, and adoption for expecting families.
During an Oval Office press conference with the president, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. called the declining birth rate an "existential crisis,” claiming men in 1970 had twice the sperm count of teenagers today.
Kennedy stated the department is studying how obesity, chemicals, and pesticides may affect fertility, warning of a “toxic soup that our young women are walking around in.”
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned Tuesday following pressure from pro-life groups who were frustrated with his handling of abortion drug mifepristone.
Under Makary's leadership, the FDA left Biden-era rules intact that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed online and mailed, and approved a new generic version of the pill.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (MO) called Makary's resignation "welcome news," saying he "attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions" and "slow walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone."
Kyle Diamantas, formerly the agency’s top food official, will serve as acting FDA chief.

_OUR TAKE_

The change in leadership at the FDA reveals a tension inside the White House. Kennedy was reportedly pushing for Makary to leave, and in the aftermath of the announcement, many Republican lawmakers voiced their support for the move.

Pro-lifers in Trump’s coalition expected a more forceful rollback of Biden-era abortion pill policies, suggesting that abortion policy remains a live fault line in the current White House. It’s also not a coincidence that, simultaneous to Makary’s ousting for being insufficiently pro-life, Kennedy is focusing on declining fertility — a life issue — even tying it to environmental factors in a way that echoes MAHA’s priorities.

These changes offer to reinvigorate the Department of Health and Human Services, giving the Trump administration another avenue to argue it is delivering tangible results for Americans.

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Kate Devaney6 months ago

The drop in fertility of women is heart breaking for women and dangerous for the future of country. It would be logical to consider that the wide use of birth control pills could be a culprit. Why is there never mention of this possibility? Too politically charged?

Jennifer Vaughn6 months ago(edited)

I've thought about that a lot too - the prescription of birth control pills or hormonal implants. Sometimes they're prescribed for convenience because women just don't want a period anymore. That has long-term consequences. I'm sure they're not giving full disclosure about the risks. That's not informed consent.

Photo Man6 months ago

Are there bona fide research conclusions about Kate & Jennifer's hypothesis? Where is the outrage and lawsuits about these items?

Laney B6 months ago(edited)

The emasculation of American men by the leftists has certainly robbed much of the vigor from males in younger generations. It may sound fanciful, but the decline in testosterone levels of men has corresponded to the apparent rise of it in women. There is an awful lot of aggressive alpha behaviors in women now. One example is to look at who is crawling up your back bumper on the highway..

Jennifer Vaughn6 months ago

This is all welcome news, as long as employers don't provide so-called "fertility treatments" for gay and lesbian couples or single people who want to create children by eliminating their mothers or fathers from their lives forever. Children should not be viewed as accessories or possessions to obtain through surrogacy or buying sperm, eggs, or embryos. That type of fertility industry robs children of their biological mothers or fathers, or in the case of surrogacy, robs them of the connection with the woman who carried them for 9 months.

Michael H.6 months ago

I am thrilled to see an administration pushing a pro-life agenda. We certainly need to promote LIFE over death EVERY DAY of the year. I was sickened with the former administration's support and promotion of the killing of innocent lives.

I see a majority of the programs coming from our CURRENT Dept of Health as a positive step forward for the country.

Leah MD6 months ago

We can add all the perfumes that people are now using in their house hold cleaning products/laundry products and spraying to "neutralize" odors in their houses to the list of things that are probably causing the lower fertility rates.

Photo Man6 months ago

Are there bona fide research conclusions about your hypothesis? Where is the outrage and lawsuits about these items?

Photo Man6 months ago

"Under Makary's leadership, the FDA left Biden-era rules intact that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed online and mailed, and approved a new generic version of the pill." And yet, there is great concern about the "low fertility" rate. Two contradictory scenarios that do not go hand in hand. I am very pro-life. Abortion is such an abomination.

David Hooten6 months ago

Very thorough and succinct reporting

Jim Ahern6 months ago

This seems to be yet another one of those problems that our so-called "leadership" talks about but never quite addresses in any solve the problem type fashion. If you've been remotely paying attention then you know the majority of the food on the Big Food shelves is toxic (high sugar/high carbs), you know the majority of doctors are still in Big Pharma's pocket prescribing toxic medication (cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, vaccines, etc.). And yes Big Ag throwing toxic pesticide/herbicides on the food when Organic Farms seem to get by just fine without them.. So yes folks, this is very much where a lot of our health problems across the board stem from. The real question is why hasn't the government and it's agencies shut it all down as it is unequivocally posing a proven existential threat as charted statistically over the past many decades??

Photo Man6 months ago

"And yes Big Ag throwing toxic pesticide/herbicides on the food when Organic Farms seem to get by just fine without them.." = 2 Huge Lies!! Once again, Jim spews away not knowing what he's really talking about. He is just a MSM propagandist talking point.

Jim Ahern6 months ago

Pipe down Photo (old man). Stop hopping on everybody's thread thinking you're the oracle of knowledge.. By the way the MSM supports Big Food/AG, not the little guy Organic Farmers/Livestock breeders, just to clear it up for you. And how is saying chemical pesticides/herbicides are toxic in some capacity a "Lie"? Seriously, do you own stock in Monsanto? ;)

JJW JJW6 months ago

NO, JJW