RFK Jr. responds to backlash, saying course needs change without ruining food supply

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded Sunday evening to backlash from the “Make America Healthy Again” crowd about their displeasure regarding a herbicide called “glyphosate.”

“Unfortunately, our agricultural system depends heavily on these chemicals,” he wrote in a lengthy post on X. “The U.S. represents 4% of the world’s population, yet we use roughly 25% of its pesticides. If these inputs disappeared overnight, crop yields would fall, food prices would surge, and America would experience a massive loss of farms even beyond what we are witnessing today. The consequences would be disastrous.”

Last week, many in the MAHA crowd expressed outrage about President Donald Trump signing an executive order to protect domestic production of glyphosate-based herbicides.

Kennedy in the past said he would ban the practice.

In his lengthy post, the health secretary said that they are changing course without destabilizing the food supply.

“Alongside @USDA @SecRollins, we are accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture by expanding farming systems that rebuild soil, increase biodiversity, improve water retention, and reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals, including pre-harvest desiccation,” he wrote on X.

He said they are in the process of reforming at scale.

“The Make America Healthy Again agenda forces us to challenge long-standing assumptions about how we grow food, structure markets, and measure success in this country,” Kennedy said. “Reform at this scale will test entrenched interests, and it will not move in a straight line.”

Many expressed their disappointment in the replies to Kennedy’s post.

“We can understand how farmers are reliant on glyphosate and need time to transition,” one user wrote. “But we do not understand why it needed to be an executive order with immunity language. This administration should come out strong against any attempt to give immunity to ANY product and in support of transparent labeling.”

Alex Clark, the host of the Turning Point USA podcast Culture Apothecary, called for more accountability for chemical manufacturers.

“No one disputes that America shouldn’t rely on adversarial nations for critical agricultural inputs,” she said. “That’s common sense. But “bringing production home” cannot mean shielding chemical manufacturers from accountability when their products are tied to cancer claims, environmental damage, and devastated farming communities.”