MAHA Leader Resigns from Trump Administration Amid Policy Disputes

Calley Means resigned from the Trump administration Thursday, less than two weeks before the midterm elections. Means was a top adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a leader of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. The departure signals another division within the unusual coalition that helped Trump win the presidency. Means said the resignation came "with tremendous respect for President Trump and Bobby Kennedy."

Means helped direct Department of Health and Human Services food-policy initiatives. Those efforts included changing companies' disclosures about chemicals in food and removing artificial food dyes. Another effort sought to prohibit soda and sugary drinks under SNAP, the federal food assistance program. Means received widespread credit for introducing Trump and Kennedy, which led Kennedy to suspend Kennedy's presidential campaign and endorse Trump.

Means reportedly had become increasingly disillusioned with the administration because major elements of the MAHA food agenda faced implementation delays. The White House suggested over the summer that a major announcement defining ultra-processed foods was approaching. That announcement has not materialized amid strong opposition from industry groups. MAHA supporters increasingly disagree about how the administration relates to the movement's central policy objectives. Those objectives include removing pesticides and chemicals from food and promoting healthier diets through less reliance on ultra-processed foods. A coalition of MAHA activists issued a scorecard earlier this month claiming that the administration had broken 85 percent of the administration's promises concerning pesticide restrictions, healthier foods and special interests in Washington.

However, Means said Trump and Kennedy had advanced a vision of confronting entrenched interests in Washington that profit from Americans' illnesses. Means said Trump and Kennedy had achieved substantial progress over the past two years. Means claimed that policy and cultural changes supporting those goals during the past two years exceeded those of any previous period. Means also said the movement was only beginning. White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster thanked Means for serving in the administration and praised Means' contribution to MAHA.

Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require foreign travelers entering the United States to certify that the travelers have not visited the Congo during the preceding three weeks. The requirement comes amid a widespread Ebola outbreak. Reuters first disclosed the requirement Thursday, citing a CDC memo. The CDC initially had rules excluding travelers, including United States citizens, who had visited the Congo within 21 days before departure.