White House acknowledges problems in RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report : NPR

WASHINGTON — The White House will address inaccuracies in a highly-anticipated federal government report led by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which raised concerns about America’s food supply, pesticides, and prescription drugs.

Kennedy’s comprehensive “Make America Healthy Again” report, unveiled last week, referenced numerous studies, but a review by the news outlet NOTUS revealed that some of those studies were non-existent.

When questioned about the report’s discrepancies, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the report will be revised.

“I am aware of some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being rectified and the report will be updated,” Leavitt told journalists during her briefing. “However, this does not diminish the significance of the report, which, as you are aware, is one of the most revolutionary health reports ever released by the federal government.

Kennedy has consistently promised to bring “radical transparency” and “gold-standard” science to public health agencies. Nonetheless, the secretary declined to disclose details about the authors of the 72-page report, which advocates for enhanced scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule and depicts the nation’s children as overmedicated and undernourished.

Leavitt affirmed that the White House has “full confidence” in Kennedy.

“Minor citation and formatting errors have been rectified,” stated HHS Spokesman Andrew Nixon in an email. He characterized the report as a “historic and transformative evaluation by the federal government to comprehend the chronic disease epidemic affecting our nation’s children.”

NOTUS reported on Thursday that seven of the more than 500 studies cited in the report seemed to have never been published. An author of one study confirmed that although she conducted research on children’s anxiety, she did not author the report in question. Additionally, some studies in the MAHA report were misinterpreted. The problematic citations pertained to children’s screen time, medication usage, and anxiety.

Kennedy’s MAHA report had already been sparking concerns among Trump supporters, including farmers who criticized how the report portrayed the chemicals used on U.S. crops.

The report is intended to inform policy recommendations that will be unveiled later this year. The White House has requested a $500 million increase in funding from Congress for Kennedy’s MAHA initiative.