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MaddowBlog-Trump executive order on a weed killer chemical didn't do RFK Jr. any favors
The “Make America Healthy Again” agenda is riddled with a series of overlapping contradictions, which are becoming even more common.
When RFK Jr. was on the campaign trail in 2024, he vowed that if he joined Trump’s team, he would “ban the worst agricultural chemicals.â€
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-19T18:25:23.000Z
I have some bad news for the voters who actually believed he'd follow through on this.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-executive-order-on-a-weed-killer-chemical-didnt-do-rfk-jr-any-favors
About a year later, in November 2025, the Republican administration advanced a plan to approve agricultural pesticides containing “forever chemicals” as an active ingredient, despite concerns raised by some scientists and environmental activists. Kennedy, in his capacity as Trump’s health and human services secretary, bit his tongue.
This year, the underlying dynamic has reached a new level. The New York Times reported:
As the report explains, glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, which has been the target of tens of thousands of lawsuits that claim it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma......
This has been an ongoing issue for months. In June, MS NOW’s Catherine Rampell wrote a memorable Washington Post column along these lines, noting that Kennedy’s MAHA agenda is rooted in part in the idea that Americans’ health would greatly improve through better nutrition and exposure to fewer environmental toxins.
Kennedy, Rampell added, is nevertheless playing a leading role in an administration that’s “expanding use of environmental toxins.”
If Kennedy and Team Trump wanted to admit that the MAHA agenda was largely focused on undermining vaccines, it would be impolitic, but it would also be far closer to the truth.
This year, the underlying dynamic has reached a new level. The New York Times reported:
President Trump issued an executive order late Wednesday aimed at spurring the domestic production of glyphosate, a widely used weedkiller that has figured in health lawsuits.
The move immediately set off alarms among supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement, and appeared to put Mr. Kennedy in an awkward position.
As the report explains, glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, which has been the target of tens of thousands of lawsuits that claim it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma......
This has been an ongoing issue for months. In June, MS NOW’s Catherine Rampell wrote a memorable Washington Post column along these lines, noting that Kennedy’s MAHA agenda is rooted in part in the idea that Americans’ health would greatly improve through better nutrition and exposure to fewer environmental toxins.
Kennedy, Rampell added, is nevertheless playing a leading role in an administration that’s “expanding use of environmental toxins.”
If Kennedy and Team Trump wanted to admit that the MAHA agenda was largely focused on undermining vaccines, it would be impolitic, but it would also be far closer to the truth.
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